The Minnesota Timberwolves are officially off to the Western Conference semifinals following Wednesday night’s 103-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 in the first round of the NBA playoffs, clinching a 4-1 series victory.
It’s the first time in franchise history Minnesota has advanced past the first round of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The Wolves continue to ascend behind the star power of Anthony Edwards and leadership of coach Chris Finch, and a dominant series over the heavy betting favorite Lakers only further cemented Minnesota as a rising NBA powerhouse.
The Wolves will have a little wait before they learn their second-round opponent — the Golden State Warriors have a 3-2 series lead over the Houston Rockets and can clinch the series on Friday — but it won’t be long before the focus shifts to the next round. But first, here is a look at five things that stood out from Minnesota’s 4-1 series victory over the Lakers:
In Game 1, the Wolves shot 21 for 42 from 3-point range and had three 20-point scorers. Jaden McDaniels scored a team-high 25 points, and Naz Reid hit six 3s on his way to 23 points off the bench. It was a well-rounded effort where Minnesota relied on its plethora of shooters, who made the Lakers pay for directing so much attention at Edwards.
Game 5 couldn’t have been more of a different story, except for the constant of Los Angeles sending blitzes and doubles at Edwards. But Wednesday, the shooting wasn’t there as Minnesota was just 7 for 47 (15%) from long range, becoming the first team in NBA history to win a game when shooting below 16% from 3 on 36 or more attempts from downtown. They were able to do so because of Rudy Gobert’s massive size advantage and his 27-point, 24-rebound masterclass.
In Game 3, McDaniels and Julius Randle attacked the paint throughout, and Edwards led a masterful closing performance that saw the Wolves end the game on a 13-1 run. McDaniels scored a team-high 30 points, and Edwards hit a go-ahead 3, found Reid for another, beat LeBron James on a drive and hit a dagger jumpshot while the defense went into lockdown.
Game 4 was an Edwards explosion for 43 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter as Minnesota rallied from a 10-point deficit. Edwards was an unstoppable force, and the Wolves were able to absorb the Lakers’ best shot in Minneapolis.
Depth figured to be a strength for Minnesota in this series, and it couldn’t have been more evident. While the Wolves won the four games in different ways, the Lakers played their top-five guys for the entire second half in Game 4. They mostly didn’t let Edwards beat them, but that left them susceptible elsewhere, and the Wolves were able to utilize their depth.
While without a doubt one of the best and most exciting rising stars in the NBA, Edwards’ at times questionable decision-making was a clear knock on his game. He was turnover prone during the regular season, averaging 3.2 giveaways per game, and he would take some head-scratching shots late in games. And it was clear the Lakers had a strategy to defend Edwards and the Wolves: They weren’t going to let his scoring beat them; they wanted to force his hand as a playmaker.
The Lakers limited his scoring — excluding Game 4 — but Edwards beat them time and again with the right decisions. He navigated blitzes and double teams to perfection, getting off the ball at the right time and routinely finding the open man. He didn’t force shots, but he did take over when his team needed him. Edwards lowered his turnovers to 1.2 per game, and didn’t have any in the closeout Game 5. The series was a maturation from Edwards that can make the Wolves a contender.
In the five games, Edwards averaged 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 42% from the field and 33% from 3 — those numbers would have been better without an 0 for 11 night from 3 on Wednesday. The rebounds are his most in any playoff run and the turnovers, his fewest. Edwards only continues to ascend as a superstar.
The Lakers never looked smaller than in Game 5 when Gobert was grabbing offensive rebounds, throwing down putback dunks and catching lobs from his teammates en route to 27 points and 24 rebounds. While NBA basketball doesn’t feature the big man like it once did, the Timberwolves made it clear how critical it still is to have some size in the paint.
While Gobert had just 12 points combined in the first four games of the series, Randle was a constant presence in the paint and averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in the series. The Lakers had no rim protector to meet Edwards when he attacked the basket. McDaniels was able to drive at will and was a monster on the offensive glass.
The Timberwolves went 20-26 in clutch games — games within a five-point margin in the last five minutes of regulation or in overtime — during the regular season, ranking 20th in offensive rating (106.4), 24th in defensive rating (114.8) and 23rd in the NBA in net rating (-8.4). Minnesota went 3-0 in clutch games against the Lakers, posting the best offensive rating in the playoffs in those minutes (170.0), the second-best defensive rating (82.4) and the best net rating (87.6). Their assist-to-turnover ratio has also jumped from 1.20 during the regular season (25th) to 9.00 in the three playoff games (first).
One of the biggest question marks for Minnesota was how it would handle the closing minutes against a team featuring top-tier closers in James and Luka Doncic. The Wolves answered that question with authority and an exclamation point.
The Lakers are … going home in five. It’s never easy to close out playoff series, so the quicker, the better.
Minnesota will have some rest before it meets the Warriors or Rockets, who play a Game 6 Friday night. Either way, the Wolves will be the fresher team in Game 1 of the semifinals, even more so if Houston forces a Game 7. And not to get too far ahead, as long-term playoff prospects go, the Wolves would like to be as fresh as possible as they mount a playoff run.
They were clearly gassed in last year’s Western Conference finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks after a seven-game slugfest with the Denver Nuggets. Regardless of what plays out this postseason, taking care of the Lakers in five games will only be to their benefit as they get deeper and deeper into the postseason and the series get longer and longer.
