Luka Doncic, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers crashed out of the NBA playoffs in the first round after the Minnesota Timberwolves completed a resounding 4-1 series win with a 103-96 triumph in Game 5.
It was a disappointing end to the season for the Lakers, who acquired Doncic in mid-season in the hope he could combine with James to boost their chances of landing a first title in five years.
Final pic.twitter.com/BbMHMWuOwr
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 1, 2025
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Gobert pushes Lakers towards exit door
As it was, they never got close as Minnesota – inspired by 27 points and 24 rebounds from Rudy Gobert – surged through.
“There’s always a mix of disappointment and gratitude,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said following his team’s exit.
“Certainly disappointed [because this result is] not something that I ever envisioned with this team, having to go in and talk to them after losing in the first round, but give Minnesota a lot of credit. They’re a really good basketball team, and I think our guys played hard enough and did all the right things.
“We tried to make it work with what we had, and came up a little short.”
Doncic had 28 points and James 22 but they could not prevent a second straight elimination in the first round.
Next up for Minnesota is a clash with either the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets.
Future cloudy for James
The Timberwolves move on but the Lakers need to go back to the drawing board.
And whether that will include James remains to be seen.
The 40-year-old has been a major contributor again this season but he admitted he wasn’t sure if he would return for a 23rd year.
“I don’t know,” James said when asked how many more years he would play. “I don’t have the answer to that. [It’s] something I sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens and just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play.”
