Iowa basketball alum Luka Garza's Game 1 Celtics NBA Playoffs stats
The Boston Celtics handled business in Game 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. How did former Iowa basketball star Luka Garza play?
Last weekend, Luka Garza had the best game of his NBA career to end the regular season. Garza poured in a career-high 27 points, to go along with 12 rebounds, to help the Boston Celtics take down the Orlando Magic in the regular season finale. It was a big confidence booster for Garza and Boston's other reserve players with the playoffs on the horizon.
The Celtics tipped off their NBA Playoff run on Sunday when they hosted the Philadelphia 76ers in game one at TD Garden. Boston dominated from the opening tip, winning the game 123-91 in blowout fashion to take the early series lead. While the big-name stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown certainly showed up and showed out, this game also presented an opportunity for the former Hawkeye big man to get some run.
And he didn't disappoint. How did Luka Garza perform in Boston's game one victory? Garza played 14 minutes off the bench in game one, the most minutes in a single NBA Playoff game in his career so far.
He scored seven points on 1-4 shooting from the field, with all of his attempts coming from behind the three-point line. He went 4-4 from the free-throw line, while also adding two rebounds and an assist to cap off a decent playoff debut. On a team filled with superstars and high-end talent, Garza doesn't need to take over games and score 20 points a night.