Ricky Rubio’s top 5 games in Wolves uniform

Change your face. Be happy. Enjoy it!

Ricky Rubio, perhaps the most beloved Minnesota Timberwolves player in franchise history not named Kevin Garnett, is making his return to the team which drafted him fifth overall in 2009.

Before Rubio suits up in a jersey with “Minnesota” across the chest once again, we’re going to look back at his best five games from his previous stint (2011-17) with the Timberwolves.

Let’s begin now.

5) March 30, 2017 – Timberwolves 119, Lakers 104

Both of Rubio’s top-two scoring games with Minnesota occurred against the Lakers. Playing in what would be one of his final games with the Wolves before being traded, the Spanish guard went off for a career-high 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field and also added 10 assists, five rebounds and two steals. Rubio nailed 4 of 5 attempts from deep — and three of those came in the first quarter. His other high-scoring game with Minnesota? Oct. 28, 2015 – 28 points and 14 assists in a win over the Lakers.

4) Jan. 20, 2012 – Timberwolves 101, Clippers 98

You might remember this as Kevin Love’s buzzer-beater against Los Angeles. As you should. But Rubio played a big role as well. It wasn’t one of Rubio’s prettiest games — in fact, it was rather ugly over the opening three quarters. Rubio started the game 0-for-10 from the field and didn’t make his first shot from the floor until there were 20 seconds left in the game. Trailing 98-95, Luke Ridnour drove to the hoop and kicked it out to Derrick Williams, who made the extra pass to Rubio in the corner. Rubio drained the triple to tie the game. On the Clippers’ next possession, Rubio locked down Chauncey Billups and contested a shot, forcing a miss. Love ended things as time expired with a 3-pointer – his first buzzer-beater in a Wolves uniform. And it wouldn’t have happened without Rubio. Again, it wasn’t Rubio’s best box score — nine points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals and one block in 32 minutes — and placing this contest in his top five Timberwolves games doesn’t help the storylines of his shooting woes. But like Ryan Saunders said during a press conference, Rubio makes winning plays.

3) March 12, 2013 – Timberwolves 107, Spurs 93

This contest was the definition of a trap game. At 49-15, San Antonio entered the game with the best record in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves had the fourth-worst (21-39). However, Minnesota led 53-38 at halftime and never let the Spurs back in the game. Rubio finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for his first career triple-double. He’d go on to post four more triple-doubles with Minnesota before moving onto Utah in 2017-18.

2) March 11, 2016 – Timberwolves 99, Thunder 96

Entering the fourth quarter, Minnesota trailed Oklahoma City by four points. Rubio had already posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists. He boosted those numbers with four more assists in the final quarter. With 10.8 seconds to play at the game tied at 96, Rubio inbounded the ball to Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins held the ball for five seconds, then sprinted towards the hoop. When the entire Thunder defense collapsed to the paint, Wiggins tossed it to an open Rubio, who was waiting on the 3-point line. He cashed it. The Wolves won. Rubio finished the game with 13 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds and three steals. He drained 3 of 6 attempts from 3-point range and posted a plus-minus of +7 in the fourth quarter. Clutch.

1) March 13, 2017 – Timberwolves 119, Wizards 104

Rubio logged nine points, 10 assists, two rebounds and one steal — all in the first quarter. His double-digit assists shattered a Timberwolves record for most in a single quarter. It wasn’t the only time Rubio would dip into the record books that night, as he finished the night with a franchise-record 19 assists, which still stands heading into the 2020-21 season. It bested the previous Wolves record of 17 assists set by Rubio on four previous occasions.