Timberwolves eliminate Lakers in 1st round after 3 straight wins

The Minnesota Timberwolves, led by Rudy Gobert, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5, eliminating them in the first round of the playoffs after winning the series 4-1.

Rudy finished with postseason highs as he notched 27 points and grabbed 24 boards, Julius Randle scored 23, and the Wolves advanced to the 2^nd round of the postseason with a 103-96 win in California.

Anthony Edwards finished the match with 15 points and 11 boards for the 6^th-seeded Minnesota, who triumphed in 3 games in a row to eliminate  LeBron James and Luka Doncic from their 1^st playoffs together as teammates.

WOLVES IN FIVE 🐺

Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves eliminate the Lakers to advance ⚡ pic.twitter.com/dCuu4irSuX

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Minnesota push Lakers on the verge of elimination after 116-113 win in Game 4

— ESPN (@espn) May 1, 2025

After triumphing in a postseason round in back-to-back campaigns for the 1^st time in organization history, the Wolves will play in the 2^nd round the winner of the Rockets and the Warriors. Golden State is leading 3-2 as Game 6 of the matchup is on Friday.

Luka finished with 28 points and 9 assists, while LeBron had 22 points for LA, who were eliminated in the 1^st round for the 2^nd consecutive playoffs despite having big ambitions with the arrival of Doncic in the blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis.