POSTGAME NOTES
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES 115, OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 108
October 19, 2022
TIMBERWOLVES NOTES
Player Notes
• In his first regular season game as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rudy Gobert finished with a team-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting and a game-high 16 rebounds, good for his first 20+ point/15+ rebound game of the season (38th career). With his 16 rebounds on the night, Gobert set the record for the most rebounds in a Timberwolves debut, surpassing 13 by Al Jefferson on Nov. 2, 2007 vs. Denver.
• Of his game-high 16 rebounds, Gobert hauled in a game-high seven offensive rebounds, the most by a Timberwolves player on Opening Night. The previous record was six (3x; MR: Rasho Nesterovic at Houston on Oct. 31, 2000).
• Karl-Anthony Towns ended the night with 12 points, seven rebounds and a game-high-tying seven assists. Of his seven assists, five of them came in the first quarter, tying a career-high for assists in a quarter (3x; MR: 3rd Quarter on March 14, 2021 vs. Portland) and marking his first time doing so in a first quarter.
• In 12:26 minutes off the bench, Taurean Prince finished with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep, his 16th game of his career knocking down three-or-more triples off the bench.
Team Notes
• Led by Gobert’s game-high 16 rebounds, the Timberwolves grabbed 55 rebounds tonight, the most by a Timberwolves team on Opening Night (previous: 54 on Nov. 5, 1999 at Sacramento in OT). Last season, Minnesota grabbed 50+ rebounds on 17 occasions and finished the 2021-22 season with a 13-4 record when doing so.
• Minnesota outscored the Thunder in the paint 50-38. During the 2021-22 season, the Timberwolves ranked 14th in the NBA in paint points (47.7 ppg).
(info and photo courtesy of Timberwolves)