LOS ANGELES — Lakers coach JJ Redick on Tuesday described the state of his team as “on edge, as we should be” – a description that could have also carried over into Wednesday night.
Whether it was Redick ending his pregame press conference with a rant in response to a reporter’s question about utilizing his assistant coaches, or the 18,997 in attendance seemingly on the edge of their seats for any positive moment from the Lakers, the tension was running throughout Crypto.com Arena for the Lakers’ win-or-go-home Game 5 matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
But by the tail end of the night, that tension turned into disappointment, with the Lakers falling to the Timberwolves, 103-96, to lose their best-of-seven first-round playoff series in five games, ending LeBron James’ and Luka Doncic’s first season together.
Doncic (28 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) and James (20 points, seven rebounds, six assists) led the Lakers despite both having to leave the game at certain moments after getting hurt.
But the Lakers didn’t overcome their ball security issues.
Or the Timberwolves, as Minnesota center Rudy Gobert (27 points, 24 rebounds, both playoff career highs) and Julius Randle (23 points, 7-of-10 shooting on 2-pointers) ran amok against the Lakers’ intentionally small-ball lineup.
The Timberwolves beat the Lakers despite missing 40 3-point shots (7 for 47), the most in NBA playoff history.
Minnesota dominated the boards, 54-37, and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds. The visitors had two fewer turnovers (15-13) than the Lakers, helping them win the possession battle – a common thread through the series.
The Timberwolves had 11 more field-goal attempts (89-78) and eight more free throw attempts (33-25).
Early on, the Lakers didn’t play with the urgency and attention to detail that’s expected from a team in a do-or-die game.
They finished the first quarter, which they trailed 31-22, with six turnovers that directly led to nine Minnesota points, and allowed the Timberwolves, led by the 7-foot-1 Gobert, to grab four offensive rebounds in the first 12 minutes.
The Lakers kept chipping away at the deficit throughout the second and third quarters, eventually breaking through with a 3-pointer from Dorian-Finney-Smith that gave the Lakers their first lead of the game at 78-77 late in the third.
But the Lakers, who shot 42.3% from the field (33 for 78) and 29.7% from 3-point range (11 for 37), didn’t have the shot-making necessary to stave off Minnesota, especially given the extra shots they were giving the Timberwolves.
James and Rui Hachimura (23 points) made late 3-pointers to keep the Lakers in the game, with Hachimura’s 25-footer cutting their deficit to 97-94, but Minnesota outhustled the Lakers down the stretch as they did all series, resulting in the Lakers’ season ending with three straight losses and a resounding thud.
The Lakers have advanced beyond the first round just once in five seasons since their 2020 NBA championship in the Florida bubble.
Anthony Edwards had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the sixth-seeded Timberwolves, who advance to face the winner of Houston’s series with Golden State. The second-seeded Rockets avoided elimination Wednesday, and Game 6 is Friday in San Francisco with the seventh-seeded Warriors leading, 3-2.
More to come on this story.
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