Ant-Man, Batman, Superman... Timberwolves in five.
"They said Lakers in 5 and the Wolves won in a 5, so I think that makes it feel 10x better."
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 1, 2025
Ant on Timberwolves winning series vs. Lakers 😅 pic.twitter.com/FVl0mb61az
Rudy Gobert posted playoff career highs with 27 points and 24 rebounds, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 103-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night to close out their first-round series 4-1.
Minnesota advances to the second round for the second straight year and awaits the winner of the Rockets-Warriors series. Houston extended that series with a Game 5 win on Wednesday; Golden State leads 3-2.
Gobert dominated a small-ball Lakers lineup, scoring more points in Game 5 than he did in the first four games combined.
“Feels great, but not vindication,” Gobert said. “It’s about a championship.”
Despite shooting just 7-for-47 from beyond the arc — including a brutal stretch of 17 straight misses — the Wolves controlled the game with physicality and interior dominance. Mike Conley’s 3-pointer with 1:22 remaining finally broke the drought and sealed the win.
“We didn’t shoot the ball well, but I thought we were the tougher team mentally and physically,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “We just needed to survive the emotions of the game.”
Julius Randle added 23 points, and Anthony Edwards finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota, which has now won three straight to eliminate LeBron James and Luka Doncic in their first postseason together.
Doncic scored 28 points and dished nine assists for the Lakers. James added 22, and Rui Hachimura had 23 off the bench. But L.A. was unable to extend the series, losing in the first round for the second straight postseason despite midseason roster changes, including the acquisition of Doncic.
“There’s always a mix of disappointment and gratitude,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “We tried to make it work with what we had and came up a little short.”
