Minnesota Timberwolves players turn in strong performances in exhibitions

Minnesota Timberwolves players are off to strong starts as their respective national teams gear up for the Tokyo Olympics.

Over the weekend, Josh Okogie’s Nigerian national team upset Team U.S.A. while Ricky Rubio again led Spain in scoring in another exhibition victory. They are two of several individuals with Wolves ties who are playing prominent roles in the Summer Olympics this year.

Minnesota Timberwolves wing Josh Okogie helps Nigeria beat United States

The story from the weekend was Team U.S.A.’s loss to Nigeria. While it was an exhibition and the United States remains shorthanded with three players still playing in the NBA Finals, they were heavy favorites over the Nigerians.

In the 2012 Olympics, the U.S. defeated Team Nigeria by 83 points, and in a pre-Olympics tune-up prior to 2016, the margin was 42.

But this time around, Nigeria won by a score of 90-87. They are coached by longtime NBA head coach and assistant Mike Brown, and the roster features several NBA players, including Miami Heat 2020 first-round draft pick Precious Achiwua, Heat teammate KZ Okpala, veteran center Ekpe Udoh, Wolves wing Okogie, and others.

Okogie started and only put up four points on 2-of-7 shooting, but he also pitched in three rebounds and three assists and was a big part of the active Nigerian perimeter defense that held the United States to just 41.3 percent shooting from the floor.

Team U.S.A. promoted Keldon Johnson, Darius Garland, and Saddiq Bey from the Select team that also included Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid from the Wolves. Both Edwards and Reid have been injured, and it’s fair to wonder whether or not Edwards may have been promoted to the big club had he not sprained his ankle during a scrimmage last week.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rubio leads Spain in win over France

Ricky Rubio once again led Spain in scoring as they defeated his former Utah Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert and Team France.

Rubio dropped 23 points and hit a couple of big shots late in the game as Spain held on for an 87-79 win.

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Spain is a bit shorthanded following the shoulder injury suffered by Wolves forward Juancho Hernangomez earlier this week.

They remain one of the favorites to challenge the United States for the gold medal, along with Argentina (featuring Wolves 2020 first-round pick Leandro Bolmaro and Wolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni). Rubio was the MVP of the 2019 FIBA World Cup and is the leader of the squad on the international stage.

Stay tuned as we follow the many Wolves participating in the Tokyo Olympics this year; any match-up involving Argentina or Spain will be must-watch summer hoops.