The Minnesota Timberwolves have advanced to the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs after an impressive road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. The Lakers are now eliminated from the postseason, and they’ll face a series of offseason questions after failing to live up to the promise of a LeBron James-Luka Dončić pairing as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
The Wolves were powered by an unlikely hero in the clincher, as big man Rudy Gobert demolished the small-ball lineups the Lakers played for the entire game. After totaling just 14 total points in the first four games of the series, Gobert put up 27 points and 24 rebounds — both career playoff highs — to decimate the Lakers.
Every time the Lakers made a push, it seemed like Gobert got a massive offensive rebound and/or put-back to seize back momentum.
The Timberwolves were able to win the game despite atrocious 3-point shooting (7 for 47) and a subpar scoring game from superstar Anthony Edwards (15 points on 5-for-19 shooting). They now advance to play the winner of the Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets series, as they look to continue to march through the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.
Lakers vs. Wolves scores, results
Game 1: Timberwolves 117, Lakers 95
Game 2: Lakers 94, Timberwolves 85
Game 3: Timberwolves 116, Lakers 104
Game 4: Timberwolves 116, Lakers 113
Game 5: Timberwolves 103, Lakers 96 (Minnesota wins series 4-1)
