Ignite Claims First Win of Regular Season in Overtime Thriller
February 1, 2024 - NBA G League (G League)
NBA G League Ignite News Release
HENDERSON, Nev. - NBA G League Ignite (1-15) claims its first win of the regular season in an overtime thriller against the Iowa Wolves (3-12), 123-118, on Wednesday night at The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev.
Ron Holland paced Ignite after recording a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds while adding six assists and three steals. Izan Almansa followed behind with 20 points, eight rebounds and two assists, including the game-winning basket in overtime. Matas Buzelis and Tyler Smith poured in 15 points apiece. Buzelis tallied four rebounds, four blocks, two steals and two assists, while Smith grabbed five rebounds. In his Ignite debut, Gabe York provided 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Josh Minott led the Wolves with a game-high 27 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Former Ignite player Leonard Miller returned to notch a double-double with 25 points and a game-high 19 rebounds on 11-of-18 shots from the field. Javonte Cook added 19 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Giorgi Bezhanishvili recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
In a back-and-forth opening quarter that saw eight lead changes, the Wolves took an early lead (35-33) after shooting 54.2 percent from the field. The Wolves had four players who scored at least five points in the frame, led by Javonte Cooke with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field, including 2-of-4 from the three-point line. After holding a one-point lead (43-42) at the 7:48 mark, the Wolves went on an 11-0 run in the second quarter to extend its lead by 12 points. The Wolves continued to pull away to take a 17-point lead in the frame. Leonard Miller finished the half with 16 points and 13 rebounds to help the Wolves take a 70-54 advantage at the halfway mark. Ignite used a 30-point third quarter led by Ron Holland and Dink Pate, who poured in nine and seven points, respectively to cut its deficit to four points (88-84) heading into the final period. Both teams battled throughout the fourth quarter as neither could pull away. Trailing by five points with 2:06 remaining in regulation, Ignite closed the frame on a 5-0 run, including a clutch three-pointer by Tyler Smith, to send the game to overtime. Izan Almansa came up big in the frame after scoring 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. John Jenkins got things going in overtime by knocking down a three-pointer to give Ignite the advantage. Almasa scored four consecutive points to seal the game and give Ignite its first win since Dec. 14, 2023.
NEXT UP
Ignite will hit the road to take on the Memphis Hustle in a two-game series beginning on Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Landers Center in Southaven, Miss., tipping off at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. Coverage will be available on Tubi.
• Discuss this story on the NBA G League message board...
NBA G League Stories from February 1, 2024
- Force Strikes Vipers to Split Series - Sioux Falls Skyforce
- College Park Opens February with 125-115 Win Over the Birmingham Squadron - College Park Skyhawks
- Herd Stifles the Knicks - Wisconsin Herd
- Osceola Magic Come Up Short Against Ontario Despite Mac Mcclung's Strong Return - Osceola Magic
- Vipers Fall to Skyforce - Rio Grande Valley Vipers
- New Orleans Pelicans Assign Malcolm Hill and E.J. Liddell to Birmingham Squadron - Birmingham Squadron
- Wisconsin Herd Adds Marquese Chriss - Wisconsin Herd
- Medical Update on Drew Timme - Wisconsin Herd
- Ignite Claims First Win of Regular Season in Overtime Thriller - NBA G League Ignite
- G League Ignite Defeat Iowa Wolves in Overtime, 123-118 - Iowa Wolves
- Austin Spurs Defeated by Texas Legends, 121-103 - Austin Spurs
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
