Rudy Gobert recorded two playoff career-highs to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 and advance to the NBA Western Conference Semifinals.
Gobert – who had career postseason marks in scoring and rebounding – and the Timberwolves won 103-96 to clinch the first round series 4-1; it was their third straight win over the Lakers and means the Wolves have now won a playoff series in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history.
Minnesota left the door open throughout the game as the team struggled to make its shots, but the Lakers failed to take advantage.
“We didn’t shoot the ball well, but I thought we were the tougher team mentally and physically,” T-Wolves head coach Chris Finch reflected in the post-game press conference.
Gobert put in a herculean effort to help push the Wolves into the second round with his best game of the postseason. The French center notched a team-high 27 points, game-high 24 rebounds and two blocks on the night.
The performance may have taken some by surprise as Gobert hadn’t registered more than six points in any of the previous four games of the series. Finch discussed the criticism Gobert’s received and the team’s reaction to his performance after the win.
“Rudy’s a winner at the highest level. He drives winning. You can not like who he is, how he does it, what he looks like, etc. I mean when you have this guy on your team you understand what a professional and a winner is.
“He doesn’t listen to the outside noise. We don’t listen to the outside noise. And no one’s happier for Rudy than his teammates right now. Particularly, Anthony (Edwards) let everybody out there on the floor know it was Rudy’s night, and nobody was around to stop him.”
Star shooting guard Edwards had a relatively quiet night for his standards, recording 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting, 11 rebounds, eight assists and three steals. He was effusive in interviews about what it meant moving on in the playoffs against LeBron James and the Lakers: “It means a lot. I mean, we beat the best player in the world, the best player ever.”
James, who recorded 22 points on the night, was solemn after the loss.
“For me, since my first NBA Finals appearance, I think in 2007, the moment I got an opportunity to be a part of that and taste that feeling, from there on, every season that I did not make it to the Finals or did not make it to a championship has been a disappointment,” he said.
At 40 years old, James is the oldest active player in the NBA. The four-time NBA champion was uncertain about his future when asked post-game.
“I don’t know. I don’t have the answer to that,” James responded. “Something I’ll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens and just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don’t know the answer to that right now, to be honest, so we’ll see.”
While the Lakers’ abrupt exit means decision time for James and Co., Minnesota will next face the winner of the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors series. The Warriors currently lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and will advance if they win at home on Friday night in Game 6.
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