The Minnesota Timberwolves despatched LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers tumbling out of the NBA playoffs on the first hurdle on Wednesday, producing a scientific 103-96 win to finish a 4-1 sequence victory.
Minnesota’s French middle Rudy Gobert delivered a dominant show at each ends of the court docket, ending with 27 factors and 24 rebounds because the Lakers exited the postseason within the first spherical for the second straight yr.
The Wolves advance to a Western Convention semifinal showdown in opposition to the winner of Golden State’s sequence in opposition to the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers, in the meantime, had been left to mirror on one other disappointingly quick postseason marketing campaign after an everyday season that had constructed spectacular momentum after the gorgeous commerce for Luka Doncic in February.
The Lakers’ failure to accumulate an genuine defensive massive after Anthony Davis’s departure to Dallas got here again to hang-out them on Wednesday as Gobert dominated across the rim.
The Lakers — who had surged to 3rd seed following Doncic’s arrival — had been additionally discovered wanting offensively, with James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves making simply 5 three-pointers between them.
“It feels nice,” Gobert informed TNT tv after the win. “We had a season with ups and downs so to come back right here and play the way in which we did means so much.
“We simply have a bunch of fellows that need to win. And numerous guys who’ve been by adversity all through their profession and their life and we love one another…all of the issues we went by all through the season ready us for this second.”
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Gobert’s contribution was backed by 23 factors from Julius Randle whereas Anthony Edwards added 15 factors with 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Doncic led the Lakers scoring with 28 factors whereas Rui Hachimura chipped in with 23 factors and James 22.
Lakers coach JJ Redick blamed “too many turnovers, too many offensive rebounds” for his group’s defeat.
“We put ourselves able to be within the recreation 3 times within the fourth quarter and simply got here up quick each time,” Redick stated.
The 40-year-old James in the meantime refused to take a position on how for much longer he expects to play within the NBA after an abrupt finish to his twenty second season within the league.
“I don’t have a solution to that,” James stated. “I’ll sit down with my spouse, household and help group … have a dialog with myself on how lengthy I need to proceed to play. We’ll see.”
Rockets 131, Warriors 116
In Wednesday’s different playoff recreation, Houston stored its sequence in opposition to Golden State alive with a 131-116 thrashing of the Warriors, narrowing the hole of their Western Convention sequence to 3-2.
Fred VanVleet scored 26 factors, Amen Thompson added 25 factors and 5 steals and Dillon Brooks chipped in 24 for the Rockets, who led by as many as 31 factors and had been up by 29 when Warriors coach Steve Kerr waved the white flag, pulling Stephen Curry and the remainder of his starters with 5:50 left within the third quarter.
With their season on the road after an agonizing loss in a game-four thriller, the Rockets blasted out of the gate.
They related on 64.7 p.c of their photographs within the first quarter on the way in which to a 40-24 lead.
VanVleet drilled three of Houston’s six first-quarter three-pointers and the Rockets made all 13 of their free throws of their opening interval blitz.
The Warriors seemed powerless to reply, with Curry and Jimmy Butler failing to attain within the opening body — when the Warriors didn’t get to the free-throw line and turned the ball over 5 occasions.
Curry’s first basket was a three-pointer halfway by the second quarter. However the Warriors might make few inroads within the face of Houston’s suffocating protection and the Rockets led 76-49 at halftime.
Kerr stated he had no qualms about pulling his starters in a possible clinching recreation, a call that gave some relaxation to 37-year-old Curry — taking part in by a thumb harm — Draymond Inexperienced and Butler, who missed recreation three with a pelvic harm.
They will nonetheless shut out the sequence after they host recreation six on Friday.
“We will’t come out with that lack of defensive focus and power and count on to beat an important group on their dwelling flooring,” Kerr stated. “They took it to us — they had been superior tonight.”