Rudy Gobert serves as a tower of power, lifting the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 103-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers to advance to the second round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs series.
JUAN OCAMPO/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves sent LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers tumbling out of the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs at the first hurdle on Wednesday, producing a clinical 103-96 win to complete a 4-1 series victory.
French center Rudy Gobert delivered a dominant display at both ends of the court, finishing with 27 points and 24 rebounds as the Lakers exited the postseason in the first round for the second straight year.
The Wolves advance to a Western Conference semifinal showdown against the winner of Golden State’s series against the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers, meanwhile, were left to reflect on another disappointingly short postseason campaign after a regular season that had built impressive momentum after the stunning trade for Luka Doncic in February.
The Lakers’ failure to acquire an authentic defensive big after Anthony Davis’s departure to Dallas came back to haunt them on Wednesday as Gobert dominated around the rim.
The Lakers — who had surged to third seed following Doncic’s arrival — were also found wanting offensively, with James, Doncic and Austin Reaves making just five three-pointers between them.
“It feels great,” Gobert told TNT television after the win.
“We had a season with ups and downs so to come here and play the way we did means a lot.”
“We just have a bunch of guys that want to win. And a lot of guys who have been through adversity throughout their career and their life and we love each other all the things we went through throughout the season prepared us for this moment.”
Gobert’s contribution was backed by 23 points from Julius Randle while Anthony Edwards added 15 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Doncic led the Lakers scoring with 28 points while Rui Hachimura chipped in with 23 points and James 22.
Lakers coach JJ Redick blamed “too many turnovers, too many offensive rebounds” for his team’s defeat.
“We put ourselves in a position to be in the game three times in the fourth quarter and just came up short every time,” Redick said.
The 40-year-old James, meanwhile, refused to speculate on how much longer he expects to play in the NBA after an abrupt end to his 22nd season in the league.
