Wolves Win 2023-24 Season Opener over Windy City

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Wolves, NBA G League affiliate of the Minnesota Timberwolves, opened the 2023-24 season with a 125-117 win over the Windy City Bulls on Friday night in front of 3,176 fans inside Wells Fargo Arena.

Despite battling foul trouble, two-way forward Luka Garza posted a double-double with a game-high 37 points on 14-of-21 shooting. Garza pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds for Iowa (1-0). 

Minnesota assignee guard Wendell Moore Jr. finished with 23 points, 16 coming after halftime, and knocked down a big three-pointer at the end of the third quarter that helped start a rally. Fellow assignee forward Leonard Miller tallied a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Trevor Keels had 14 points in his Iowa debut.

Max Heidegger paced Windy City (0-1) with 21 points off the bench while Jalen Harris added 17 points off the bench. Onuralp Bitim, Derrick Favors and Adama Sanogo each had 14 points. 

Garza’s three at the start of the fourth period pulled the Wolves within one point and keyed a big rally for the Wolves who trailed by 14 in the third. Later, Javonte Cooke’s one free throw for three points gave Iowa its first lead since early in the game. Iowa outscored Windy City, 42-30, in the final quarter. 

The teams will play again Saturday night at 7 p.m. inside Wells Fargo Arena.