Rubio won't play tonight vs. mighty Warriors, Wiggins will

Andrew Wiggins is in the starting lineup against NBA's best team and scorer after missing Tuesday's loss to Charlotte.

November 12, 2015 at 6:12PM
Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio, left, and forward Andrew Wiggins
Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio, left, and forward Andrew Wiggins (Brian Wicker — Star Tribune file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Update: Andrew Wiggins is available to play and is in the starting lineup.

View post on X
View post on X

Update: Ricky Rubio won't play tonight, the Timberwolves have tweeted:

View post on X

Ricky Rubio and Andrew Wiggins both participated in this morning's shootaround at Target Center before tonight's TNT game against Golden State.

Both said they were hopeful they could play tonight, but neither sounded certain that they would.

They each missed Tuesday's home loss to Charlotte, Wiggins with what the team terms a sore left knee and Rubio with a mild left hamstring strain.

Each player remains listed as probable on the team's official injury report.

Wiggins said he probably hyperextended his knee as he fell in Monday's 117-107 victory at Atlanta. When asked if he's good to go tonight, he said, "I'm hoping to play."

Rubio, too, said he is hopeful, but sounded less hopeful than Wiggins.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I'm mean, it's sore," he said. "I'm trying now. It's something that's going to be game time (decision). I feel real weird but if I'm ready tonight, I will."

The team originally called it a sore knee, then determined it's a mild hamstring strain near the back of his knee.

"In Atlanta, I kind of tweaked it, but it's something that comes with a lot of games," Rubio said. "You get a lot of hits and you have recovery and have to be ready for the next night."

Wiggins, Rubio and Kevin Garnett all did not play Tuesday. Garnett was rested on the second of back-to-back games.

Interim head coach Sam Mitchell has said he'll listen to what Garnett tells him before deciding how to proceed during back-to-back games, but Garnett said after shootaround tonight that the decision is Mitchell's.

All the Wolves must do tonight is face the NBA's only remaining unbeaten team -- 9-0 -- and NBA leading scorer Stephen Curry (31.9 ppg), who can make three-point shots from anywhere it seems. In Wednesday's victory at Memphis, he threw a long underhanded three that even went in.

"It seems like it can't be real, like he was just lucky," Rubio said. "But he has been doing it for almost two years now in a row and it seems like he's never going to stop. That's why he was the MVP. He proved to everybody that he's one of the best, if not the best, in the league."

The Wolves are 4-0 on the road, but 0-3 at home and have lost 11 consecutive home games, going back to last season.

Btw, Marv Albert, Brent Barry and David Aldridge are working the 7 pm. game tonight for TNT.

about the writer

about the writer

Jerry Zgoda

Reporter

Jerry Zgoda covers Minnesota United FC and Major League Soccer for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

See Moreicon

More from Wolves

See More
card image
Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune

The center had called on coach Chris Finch to start benching players who give lackluster effort on defense.

card image
card image