The Los Angeles Lakers’ landed Luka Doncic in a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Mavericks in February to bolster the team’s championship aspirations, but the Lakers’ playoff run is over soon after it began.
The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Lakers 103-96 in Game 5 on Wednesday to clinch the first-round series 4-1. The Timberwolves led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but the Lakers fought back to take the lead, 88-87, with 6:29 remaining in the game. However, Minnesota responded and closed out the game and the series on a 15-9 run to defeat the Lakers on their home floor at crypto.com Arena.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert led the way with playoff career-highs in points (27) and rebounds (24), in addition to two blocks. Anthony Edwards struggled to get going from behind the arc, shooting 0-of-11 from three, but he finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lakers superstar duo of Doncic and LeBron James both played through injuries in the matchup. Doncic suffered a lower back injury in the first half, but still managed to score a game-high 28 points and nine assists despite being less than 100%. James, who was also roughed up in the second half, finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
It marks a disappointing end for the No. 3 seed Lakers. Here’s a recap of Game 5:
End of Q3: Timberwolves 81, Lakers 80
The Lakers outscored the Timberwolves 31-22 in the third quarter to come within one point heading into the fourth quarter. Luka Doncic returned to the court at the start of the third quarter and scored 13 of his 25 points in the third quarter despite being visibly hobbled with a lower back injury. The Lakers took their first lead of the game with 2:38 remaining in the quarter after a three from Dorian Finney-Smith.
The Timberwolves, on the other hand, came out flat. Rudy Gobert has a team-high 24 points, while Anthony Edwards has 13.
Kyrie Irving at Lakers game
Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving was spotted court-side at crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to take in Game 5 between the Timberwolves and Lakers. Irving, who suffered a torn ACL in March, was former teammates with both LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Luka Doncic returns
Doncic is back on the court to start the third quarter with what appears to be a brace on his lower back.
Halftime: Timberwolves 59, Lakers 49
The Timberwolves head to the locker room with a double-digit advantage over the Lakers through the first two quarters, leading 59-49. The Lakers, who haven’t led at any point in the contest so far, don’t appear to have an answer for Rudy Gobert’s size. Gobert is up to a game-high 15 points and eight rebounds through two quarters, shooting an efficient 7-of-10 from the field. Anthony Edwards added 10 points.