LOS ANGELES — On Wednesday, former Iowa Hawkeye and current Minnesota Timberwolves center Luka Garza led the Timberwolves to a 118-113 preseason victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Benched for the first three quarters, Garza entered the game in the fourth quarter and lit the Lakers up, scoring 15 points and grabbing four rebounds, while hitting on three of four three-point attempts.
Following his Iowa career, Garza was selected by the Pistons as the 52nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. However, in June, the Pistons declined his team option, making him a free agent.
In 32 games with the Pistons last season, Garza averaged 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 32.7% from behind the arc. He was named to the All-NBA G League Third Team and All-Rookie Team.
After spending the 2022 NBA Summer League with the Portland Trail Blazers, the Timberwolves announced in August that they had signed Garza as a free agent. In four preseason games with Minnesota, Garza's averaged eight minutes played, 7.5 points and 2.3 rebounds.
Following Wednesday's victory, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch had high praise for the sharpshooting big man.
With the NBA regular season quickly approaching on Tuesday, Oct. 18, Garza is in contention to secure one of Minnesota's final roster spots. After Wednesday's performance, it'll be tough for Minnesota to cut him from their opening day roster.
It'd be a tragedy if it weren't mentioned that 15-time world champion boxer Floyd "Money" Mayweather was in attendance for Wednesday's game. He and Garza embraced, celebrating the sharpshooting big man's late game performance.
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