The Minnesota Timberwolves currently have three players on their roster (Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea and Gorgui Dieng) playing in the FIBA World Cup. As the tournament moves along, we’ll provide you with updates on how the players and their respective teams do. Today, we'll recap Saturday's action.
Ricky Getting Rebounds
Spain defeated Iran on Saturday, 90-60. With the blowout win, Rubio played just 19 minutes. He finished with three points, five assists, nine rebounds and a game-high five steals. Rubio shot 1-of-4 from the field, 1-of-3 from the 3-point line and 1-of-6 from the free-throw line. The free-throw mark is surprising, being Rubio shot 80.2 percent from the charity stripe last season. Spain next plays Egypt on Sunday at 9 p.m.
Dieng With A Big Game For Senegal
Gorgui Dieng finished with a team-high 21 points to go with 14 rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Unfortunately for Dieng, Senegal fell to Greece 87-64. Dieng shot 6-of-13 from the field and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. Senegal will play Barea and the Puerto Rico squad on Sunday.
Barea Gets Hot From Downtown
J.J. Barea and Puerto Rico fell to Argentina, 98-75 on Saturday. Barea, though, had himself a heck of a game, finishing with 24 points. He shot 7-of-14 from the field and nailed five 3-pointers. He was also 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. He added four assists and two rebounds as well.