Luka Dončić’s arrival at the Los Angeles Lakers reinvigorated the franchise, and the fans smelled their glory days were back again. Sadly, that hasn’t been the case. With Game 5 a win-or-go-home situation for the Lakers, Anthony Edwards and Co. look to spoil the party.
The Minnesota Timberwolves led the series 3-1 and aimed to close out the game to meet the winners of the Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors. Thus, LeBron James hoped to get back to winning ways as he averages 26.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. The Lakers had a 1-17 franchise series record when trailing 3-1 in the playoffs.
Coach JJ Redick’s no-rotation policy in Game 4, which stuck to the starting players playing 12 minutes in the fourth quarter, caught fire as he stormed out of the pre-game press conference. So, this game had the makings of a blockbuster.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers Box Score
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timberwolves | 31 | 28 | 22 | 22 | 103 |
| Lakers | 22 | 27 | 31 | 16 | 96 |
Timberwolves’ Player Stats
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaden McDaniels | 17:54 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 2/4 | 0/2 |
| Julius Randle | 31:38 | 23 | 5 | 4 | 8/16 | 1/6 |
| Rudy Gobert | 38:35 | 27 | 24 | 0 | 12/15 | 0/0 |
| Anthony Edwards | 42:57 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 5/19 | 0/11 |
| Mike Conley | 30:30 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2/7 | 2/6 |
| Donte DiVincenzo | 32:12 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 3/13 | 2/12 |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 24:48 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 3/11 | 2/9 |
| Naz Reid | 21:26 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1/4 | 0/1 |
| Jaylen Clark | DNP | |||||
| Luka Garza | DNP | |||||
| Joe Ingles | DNP | |||||
| Leonard Miller | DNP | |||||
| Josh Minott | DNP | |||||
| Terrence Shannon Jr. | DNP | |||||
| Rob Dillingham | DNP |
Lakers’ Player Stats
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rui Hachimura | 39:26 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 9/16 | 5/8 |
| LeBron James | 40:27 | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9/21 | 1/5 |
| Dorian Finney-Smith | 29:20 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 3/5 | 1/3 |
| Austin Reaves | 40:41 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5/14 | 2/10 |
| Luka Dončić | 39:33 | 28 | 7 | 9 | 7/18 | 2/8 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt | 19:28 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0/1 | 0/0 |
| Gabe Vincent | 26:08 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0/2 | 0/2 |
| Maxi Kleber | 04:57 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/1 |
| Jordan Goodwin | DNP | |||||
| Jaxson Hayes | DNP | |||||
| Bronny James | DNP | |||||
| Dalton Knecht | DNP | |||||
| Alex Len | DNP | |||||
| Shake Milton | DNP | |||||
| Markieff Morris | DNP |
Timberwolves vs. Lakers: Game Recap
The Timberwolves won the tip-off and took a quick 6-0 lead. With no rim protector for the Lakers and Jaxson Hayes on the bench, Rudy Gobert looked like he could have an effective game. In a wild sequence, the lack of a big center hurt the Lakers, with the Timberwolves fetching four consecutive offensive rebounds.
Both teams didn’t do well from beyond the arc, shooting bricks most of the time, with the Timberwolves shooting 12.5% and the Lakers 0.0%.
The first highlight play came at 7:15, when Hachimura drove through the lane with a left-handed monster dunk on Gobert. Randle started strong with eight points, and with six minutes left in the first quarter, the score was 15-9.
RUI HACHIMURA POSTER ON GOBERT. 🔥
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 1, 2025
Naz Reid came in to block a step-back three-pointer of Dončić, but couldn’t take advantage of the runaway layup. Meanwhile, the Slovenian didn’t start strong with zero field goals, similar to Edwards, who couldn’t get it going from the three-point line.
Maxi Kleber debuted for the Lakers after an injury had kept him out since January 25, 2025. The Timberwolves had a 17-6 run to extend the lead to 29-17, as the Lakers couldn’t handle the size factor inside the paint. They also had 10 bench points to the Lakers’ 0 during the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter, the T-wolves had a 31-22 lead with James and Dončić shooting a combined 2/9 FGs from the field.
Maxi Kleber minutes over Hayes pic.twitter.com/I7Pri0nVlw
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) May 1, 2025
The second quarter started with a sensational dunk by James, and the Lakers went on a 14-3 run to close the lead to 32-29. The zonal defense didn’t work well for the Lakers at the start, but the team closed players down at the beginning of the second quarter, as fans saw more effort from the players.
The offensive rebounds started hurting the Lakers despite their comeback to reduce the lead. Gobert dominated the paint with no particular center for the Lakers. Unlike the first quarter, Edwards started to attack the paint, and the results were there to see.
Despite the better defense, the Lakers’ turnovers dampened their chances of returning in the second quarter. One player who started well for the Timberwolves was Gobert, who scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 16 minutes. The team extended the lead on the Lakers with a 9-2 run to 53-43.
At minute 1:56, James ramped up the action with an emphatic dunk after passing two players to excite the crowd. Soon after, Reaves showed some razzle-dazzle dribbling to score an easy layup. But at minute 1:00, Dončić left the game after a hard foul as he shot two free throws to exit the game, clenching his back.
LEBRON JAMES 😳😳😳
THIS MAN DOES NOT WANNA LOSE 🤬 pic.twitter.com/zqIvdpRF64
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 1, 2025
The Timberwolves led the game 59-49, heading to halftime. Gobert had 15 points in the game until now, dominating inside the paint.
Shockingly, the Timberwolves started the third quarter by taking lazy shots, as James dunked in another highlight play to start the proceedings. Yet, the Lakers saw Dončić wilting despite having a strapped back after the hard foul.
Dončić drained a three-pointer to dismiss some concerns about the player laboring around with a back injury. Likewise, James started the third quarter like he ended the second quarter, barreling in to get an and-one, showing his authority in the paint.
Similarly to James, Hachimura had a solid outing. He drained a three-pointer to score 16 points and already had four three-pointers in his bag. On the other hand, Gobert had a putback dunk at minute 5:34 to shush the crowd at the Crypto.com Arena. With a bad back, Dončić caught fire, scoring points in the third quarter.
Luka Doncic goes down with an injury, ohhh no 💔pic.twitter.com/syp7wpGa5H
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) May 1, 2025
The Lakers took their first lead after two back-to-back assists from Dončić, who started getting stronger as the game continued. The Lakers trailed by 14 points, and at minute 2:09, they had a 79-77 lead. Moreover, the Timberwolves looked like a shadow of themselves after the offensive clinic in the first half.
The third quarter ended with an 81-80 lead, as Edwards struggled from the field, shooting 4/15 and zero three-pointers out of eight attempts. The Timberwolves had a better rebounding advantage, but the Lakers hit the ball better. Their issues started with Reid struggling to shoot the ball.
The Lakers sometimes looked to pass the ball when a clear shooting opportunity presented itself. Focusing the attention on another player, Randle had 14 points up until 9:00, shooting 50.0% from the field.
Yet another tense moment came for the Lakers when James fell after his knee hit DiVincenzo and hobbled around the floor. The Lakers faced another blow, with Finney-Smith fouling out at 6:07, dampening their chances of a comeback with no size on the court.
RUDY GOBERT IS UNCONCIOUS. pic.twitter.com/K4u7Xl2abp
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 1, 2025
At 5:36, Gobert had another highlight play with a putback dunk, scoring 27 points and 21 rebounds for the Timberwolves, looking to close out the series. The Timberwolves had another foul trouble issue with McDaniels bowing out of the game with six fouls. Yet they returned with a 6-0 run and extended their lead to a five-point game with the scoreline at 93-88.
At 1:23, Mike Conley hit a crucial three-pointer to extend the lead to six points after the Timberwolves missed 18 straight three-pointers in the series. The rebounding numbers made the difference, with the T-wolves having 54 rebounds compared to the Lakers’ 37.
They closed the game out with a 16-8 run, and Gobert finished with 27 points, a career-high, and 24 rebounds, with nine offensive rebounds making the difference.
The Timberwolves will meet the winners of the Rockets vs Warriors matchup in the next round.