
Ricky Rubio dribbles the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 12, 2023.
Ricky Rubio played in his first game since a knee injury more than a year ago and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 119-113 on Thursday night.
The Cavaliers had listed him as questionable on the pregame injury report, but he came in off the bench with 3:38 left in the first quarter.
Rubio finished with nine points in 10 minutes — including two 3-pointers in the third quarter. The 32-year-old tore his left anterior cruciate while driving to the basket at New Orleans on Dec. 28, 2021.
Ricky Rubio with his first bucket of the season!
Welcome back, @rickyrubio9 🙌 pic.twitter.com/95Zx4AIGWO
— NBA (@NBA) January 13, 2023
Rubio’s 3-pointer got the Cavaliers within 74-70 midway through the third quarter. Jerami Grant answered with a 3 for the Blazers.
Another Rubio 3-pointer closed the gap to 82-77 as the Cavs kept the margin at single digits.
“Today there was a lot of emotions out there,” Rubio said. “I’ve been working hard all year just to be healthy so I’m grateful to be out there playing basketball.”
Guys @rickyrubio9 is back ‼️‼️‼️‼️❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/zvKA527pAM
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) January 13, 2023