The Minnesota Timberwolves’ 27-point, 24-point game knocks the Los Angeles Lakers out of the NBA playoffs.
The Minnesota Timberwolves completed a 4-1 series victory with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers rolling out of the NBA playoffs at the first hurdle, producing a clinical 103-96 victory.
Rudy Goat, a French center in Minnesota, held a dominant exhibit at both ends of the court on Wednesday, finishing with 27 points and 24 rebounds.
The Wolves advance to the Western Conference semi-final showdown against the winner of the Golden State Series against the Houston Rockets.
Meanwhile, the Lakers were left to look back on another disappointing short postseason campaign after a stunning deal with Luka Donsic in February, after a regular season that built impressive momentum.
The Lakers’ failure to score a real defensive big name after Anthony Davis to Dallas was set to plague them on Wednesday as Goats ruled around the rim.
It turns out that the Lakers, which spiked into the third species after Donsic’s arrival, are also hoping to do so offensively.
“It feels good,” Gobert told TNT TV after the victory. “We had ups and downs and seasons, so coming here and playing the way we did it means a lot.
“We have a lot of people who want to win, and many have experienced adversity throughout our careers and lives. We love each other.
Gobert’s contribution was backed by 23 points from Julius Randle, while Anthony Edwards added 15 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Donsic scored the Lakers with 28 points, while Louis Hachimura scored a chip with 23 points and James 22.
Rockets avoid exclusion against warriors
In other playoff games on Wednesday, Houston kept the series against Golden State alive, thrashing the 131-116 Warriors, narrowing the Western Conference Series gap to 3-2.
Fred VanVito scored 26 points, Amen Thompson added 25 points and five steels, while Dillon Brooks tipped for the Rockets with 24. He led 31 points and rose by the age of 29 with Warriors coach Steve Kerr swinging the white flag and leaving Stephen Curry and the remaining starters in the third quarter.
After a painful loss in the thriller from the game, their season appeared on the line and the Rockets exploded from the gate.
They connected with 64.7% of shots on the way to a 40-24 lead in the first quarter.
Vanvleet excavated three of Houston’s six first-quarter three-pointers, and Rocket made all 13 free throws in the opening period blitz.
The Warriors were unable to respond, Curry and Jimmy Butler failed to score in the opening quarter, with the team turning the ball more than five times.
The first basket of curry was a 3-pointer midway through the second quarter. However, the Warriors were barely able to infiltrate in the face of Houston’s choking defense, and the Rockets led 76-49 at halftime.
Kerr said he had no worries about pulling the starter in a potential clinch game. This gave Draymond Green and Butler some rest after missing Game 3 due to a pelvic injury to play with a 37-year-old Curry-thumb injury.
They can close the series when they host Game 6 on Friday.
“We can’t reveal a defensive focus and lack of energy and hope to beat a great team on their home floor,” Kerr said. “They took it to us. They were amazing tonight.”
Curry finished with 13 points, while Butler scored eight for the Warriors. Moses Moody scored 25 points and led the Warriors Reserve in a later comeback bid that saw him pull within 13 points with five minutes remaining.
Things then turned chippy again, with the Warriors reserve putt Spencer being kicked out by Alperen Sengun at the Headbotting Houston Center, and Rockett pulling away to close out his Game 5 victory.
