The Timberwolves eliminated the Lakers in five games, securing a playoff series victory in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.
The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in their opening round series of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, dispelling many popular narratives about their team.
Very few national pundits and talking heads in the NBA media picked the Wolves to win the series. Despite Wolves fans and local media viewing the series as a toss-up, or possibly in the Wolves’ favor, it was not viewed that way across the country. Anthony Edwards shared his thoughts before the series about many experts picking the Lakers to win the series.
“I love the fact that everybody want the Lakers to win. That’s how it’s supposed to be. They don’t want the Timberwolves to win.”
Edwards was outstanding in the series, averaging 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game, but in the deciding Game 5 of the series, it was the pair of Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert who carried them to victory.
Randle, who in his career has not found much success in the playoffs, gave the Wolves exactly what they needed in the series, averaging 22.6 points per game while guarding LeBron James on the other end of the floor.
Gobert, also known for some high-profile playoff mishaps, struggled greatly on the offensive end through the first four games of the series before having possibly the best performance of his entire career in Game 5 with 27 points and 24 rebounds, both playoff career highs.
Less than one year after Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks ended the Timberwolves’ magical run to the Western Conference Finals, the Wolves avenged last year’s team by sending Dončić and his new Laker teammates home in just five games.