The Minnesota Timberwolves played three quarters against the LA Lakers starters. But by the time the Lakers began to sit their starters, the Minnesota Timberwolves brought their secret weapon off the bench. By the time backup center Luka Garza checked in, the Timberwolves led by a score of 87-80.
The Lakers began to rally, perhaps on the energy of young players who sat on the bench all night to that point. The Timberwolves extended their lead to 12 points at one point in the game. But the Lakers were not done and pulled to within three points with just 28.9 seconds to go. Ultimately, the Timberwolves held on.
But who was the mystery player who showed up and put on a virtual clinic at Crypto.com Arena to help the Timberwolves preserve their win over the relentless Lakers in this one? You may need to sit down for this one, but it was their backup center, Luka Garza.
Who?
That’s right, Luka Garza. In just 12 minutes, he shot more three-pointers (3) than anyone on the LA Lakers roster. And in just 12 minutes, he scored (15 points) more than all but two players on the Lakers roster. Only LeBron James (25 points) and Anthony Davis (19 points).
Garza only had 12 minutes of playing time, but he showed why he was signed to the Timberwolves roster. He put up 15 points, four rebounds, and one steal as the Timberwolves needed someone to step up in a big way. Better yet, he buried three of four from beyond the arc and shot five of nine from the floor. He was even a perfect two-of-two from the free-throw line. All told, Garza contributed half of the Timberwolves’ 31 points in the fourth quarter to ensure the Timberwolves would remain undefeated in preseason play.
Garza is just one more player who adds tremendous energy off of the Timberwolves’ bench. The bench scored 56 points for the Timberwolves, while the Lakers bench contributed just 42 points.
Finch on Luka Garza: "He's the perfect system fit for us. Great acquisition by our front office. He's a guy I think can really grow into our system here. He can stretch the floor and he can score around the basket. That's a great combo. Not a lot of bigs can do that."
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) October 13, 2022
The Timberwolves will have some tough roster decisions this season. Luka Garza clearly put up a better-than-expected performance and will be a tough player to cut or reassign to the Iowa Wolves G-League team.
The Lakers fans are asking themselves who the heck is this guy? The answer to that question may simply be that he is a player who just earned himself a roster spot on this team.