Rudy Gobert had playoff career highs with 27 points and 24 rebounds, Julius Randle added 23 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves advanced in the NBA playoffs with a 103-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of their first-round series Wednesday night.
Anthony Edwards had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the sixth-seeded Wolves, who won three straight games to eliminate LeBron James and Luka Dončić from their first postseason together.
After winning a playoff round in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history, Minnesota next face the winner of Houston’s series with Golden State. The Rockets avoided elimination Wednesday, and Game 6 is Friday with the Warriors leading 3-2.
Dončić had 28 points and nine assists, while James added 22 points for the Lakers, who lost in the first round for the second straight postseason despite reconfiguring their roster at midseason with their seismic trade for Dončić.
Rui Hachimura scored 23 points for the Lakers, who have advanced from the opening round just once in five seasons since their 2020 championship in the Florida bubble.
With Gobert running amok in the paint while the Lakers deliberately played without a center, Minnesota won Game 5 despite going 7 for 47 on three-point attempts, including 17 consecutive misses between the middle of the second quarter and Mike Conley’s dagger three with 1:22 to play.
After splitting the first two games in Los Angeles, the Wolves seized control of the series in back-to-back narrow home victories with superior late-game execution.
Gobert then stepped up when the Lakers deployed a small-ball lineup for Game 5, with the French center scoring more points than he managed in the series’ first four games combined.
Minnesota nursed a narrow lead down the stretch, and the Lakers missed five consecutive shots while going three and a half minutes between points.
After playing the entire second half of Game 4 with five players, the Lakers changed their starting lineup for Game 5, keeping tenacious wing Dorian Finney-Smith in place of center Jaxson Hayes.
Lakers coach JJ Redick defended his decision to eschew substitutions this week, even reacting testily when a reporter asked him about his decision process before Game 5.
Minnesota jumped to a 14-point lead in the first quarter, but the Lakers rallied before Dončić went to the locker room one minute before halftime after landing awkwardly on his knees due to a heavy foul by Donte DiVincenzo. Dončić returned to the court moments before the third quarter began, wearing a large lower back brace that he discarded to continue playing.
The Wolves’ terrible shooting kept it close, and the Lakers took their first lead when Dončić led a rally late in the third.
James limped to the Lakers’ bench during the fourth quarter after going down hard on his balky ankle, but returned a few possessions later.
Golden State Warriors 131-116 Houston Rockets
Pushed to the brink of elimination, the Rockets delivered a playoff gem Wednesday night to beat the Warriors and keep their season alive.
Fred VanVleet scored 26 points, Amen Thompson added 25 and the Rockets extended their first-round playoff series with a 131-116 rout in Game 5.
“Nobody wants to go home,” Alperen Sengun said.
Game 6 is Friday in San Francisco.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr threw in the towel early in this one with the game out of hand. A layup by VanVleet midway through the third quarter made it 93-64, and Kerr called timeout and cleared his bench.
Houston coach Ime Udoka followed suit with about a minute to go in the third and his team up 105-76. He put all his starters back in with about eight minutes left after Golden State cut the lead to 109-92.
Dillon Brooks added 24 points on a night when all five Houston starters scored in double figures.
VanVleet, a nine-year veteran who won a title against Golden State while with Toronto in 2019, tried to encourage his young teammates by reminding them that they’ve been in every game.
“Keep everything light and fresh and and confident and understand that we have played good basketball,” he said. “It’s not like we were getting our asses kicked the whole time.”
A 9-5 run by the Warriors got them within 114-101 before a fracas broke out with about four minutes to go. Pat Spencer pushed Brooks and then was ejected after headbutting Alperen Sengun in the ensuing scuffle.
Houston went on a 7-2 run after that to put the game away.
