The Los Angeles Lakers just didn’t have it in them to come out on top on Wednesday night.
The Minnesota Timberwolves came to Crypto.com Arena with a clear mission in mind: to end their first-round series and book their spot in the West semis. The Wolves did just that by securing an impressive 103-96 victory on the road to clinch the series, 4-1.
Lakers legend Magic Johnson took to social media after the game to share his reaction to the season-ending defeat. The five-time NBA champ sent a message to Minnesota and their superstar Anthony Edwards, who has been nothing short of amazing throughout this series.
Congratulations to my good friend Minnesota Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, superstar Anthony Edwards and the entire Minnesota Timberwolves team for beating my Lakers and advancing to the next round,” Johnson posted on X.
Edwards had an off night on Wednesday, going 5-of-19 from the field for 15 points. The three-time All-Star still flirted with a triple-double, though, with 11 rebounds and eight assists, to go along with three steals and zero turnovers in 43 minutes of action.
Despite his relatively subdued performance in Game 5, there’s no denying that Edwards has done an incredible job in leading his team against the Lakers.
Johnson also went on to express his thoughts on what he believes was the main factor in L.A.’s brutal loss.
“The reason the Lakers lost was because they played awful on defense, they were too small, and the Timberwolves dominated them in the paint,” Johnson stated.
It’s back to the drawing board for the Lakers in what should be an intriguing offseason for this team.
The Timberwolves, on the other hand, await the winner of the first-round matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets. The Warriors are up in that series, 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled on Friday, 9:00 p.m. ET.
