Anthony Edwards went 0-for-11 from three-point range, the Minnesota Timberwolves missed 40 threes and Jaden McDaniels fouled out in 18 minutes. But after another impressive fourth quarter, they eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers anyway.
Rudy Gobert had a massive game, scoring 27 points, grabbing 24 rebounds and blocking two shots. It was a validating game for the French center who has often been a playoff scapegoat, but dominated the paint Wednesday night in a game where his Timberwolves shot 7-for-47 from three-point range and 40.4 percent overall.
It helped that rookie head coach JJ Redick made more questionable decisions. His team got crushed by Gobert, got out-rebounded, 54-37 and saw the Wolves shoot 69 percent on two-pointers, yet Redick stuck with small ball lineups throughout. The exception was five minutes for Maxi Kleber, who hadn’t played since January, when he was still a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers played the Timberwolves tight all the same, limiting their shooting if not their rebounding. LeBron James and Luka Doncic got McDaniels to foul out in just 18 minutes. On a night where he was visibly bothered by a sore back, Doncic had 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, with only two turnovers.
James finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He only made one three, but it was a huge one, cutting the Lakers’ deficit to two points with three minutes to go.
Edwards had a rough shooting night but compensated in other ways. The Lakers often sent two defenders at Edwards, and he usually made the right pass, finishing with eight assists and zero turnovers. Edwards shot 5-of-19, but hustled his way to 15 points, 11 rebounds and three steals, not daunted by his shooting frustrations.
But perhaps due to their lack of depth, the youth of the Timberwolves or the simple fact that James is 40 years old (and Redick didn’t sub in the second half of game 4), Minnesota closed out every fourth quarter stronger than Los Angeles.
In Game 5, the Wolves outscored the Lakers, 22-16. In Game 4, it was 32-19. In Game 3, 30-20. For the series as a whole, Minnesota outscored the Lakers 127-85 in the fourth quarter. In the other three quarters, it was 417-410, in favor of the Lakers. The Timberwolves were just more clutch, or the Lakers were simply more fatigued.
The Lakers will have all summer to rest as they figure out their future around Doncic (who can sign an extension this summer) and James, who has a player option but does not seem inclined to leave. A first-round exit was the most likely outcome for the Lakers before the Doncic trade, but adding a second superstar raised expectations. They won’t get a chance to meet those for another year.
