The long-awaited return of the Spanish point guard helped Cleveland come back and beat Portland.
NBA: Ricky Rubio comes back
Ricky Rubio played in his first game since he hurt his knee more than a year ago, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 119-113 in the fourth quarter on Thursday night.
The Cavaliers said he was questionable to play before the game, but with 3:38 left in the first quarter, he came off the bench.
Rubio scored a total of nine points in 10 minutes. He made two 3-pointers in the third quarter, which helped him do this. On December 28, 2021, the 32-year-old tore his left anterior cruciate ligament while driving to the basket in New Orleans.
The Cavaliers were down 74–70 when Rubio hit a 3-pointer in the middle of the third quarter. The Blazers' answer came from Jerami Grant, who made a 3.
Another 3-pointer from Rubio cut the Cavs' deficit to 82-77, and the Cavs kept the gap at less than 10 points.
Rubio said, "There were a lot of feelings out there today." "I've been working hard all year to get healthy, so I'm glad I can play basketball now."
