The Minnesota Timberwolves have advanced to Round 2 of the NBA playoffs courtesy of a 103-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 on Wednesday in L.A.
Four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert had the best playoff performance of his career, tallying 27 points, 24 rebounds, and two blocks. He is the first player in NBA history to record at least 25 points and 20 rebounds while shooting 80% from the field in a series-clinching victory.
Minnesota struggled mightily from deep, knocking down just 7-of-47 of its 3-point attempts. The poor shooting included a stretch of 18 consecutive 3-point misses. However, 18 offensive boards - including nine from Gobert - buoyed the T-Wolves' offense.
The Timberwolves' 14.9% from deep is the lowest 3-point percentage on 40-plus attempts in NBA postseason history, according to Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards had his worst offensive outing of the postseason with just 15 points on 5-of-19 from the field and 0-of-11 from three.
Luka Doncic scored 28 points but didn't make his first field goal until midway through the second quarter. LeBron James recorded 22 points on 9-of-21 from the field. The pair combined for just eight points in their final quarter of the season; L.A. only managed to score 16 in the fourth quarter.
Doncic appeared to injure his back on a fall late in the second quarter and looked noticeably hobbled for the duration of the second half.
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes was taken out of the team's rotation and didn't record a second of action in the closeout contest.
"There's always a mix of disappointment and gratitude. Certainly disappointed and not something I ever envisioned with this team, having to go in and talk to them after losing in the first round," Lakers head coach JJ Redick said, per Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet.
"But give Minnesota a lot of credit. They're a really good basketball team. I think our guys played hard enough and did all the right things. We tried to make it work with what we had, and came up short."
James was vague about his future after Wednesday's defeat marked the end of his 22nd season in the NBA. "I don't know the answer to that right now," James said when asked about how much longer he plans to play, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
The Timberwolves will face the winner of the Houston Rockets-Golden State Warriors series. Golden State holds a 3-2 advantage following a blowout defeat Wednesday in Houston.
