The game was over. The pitched battle had commenced. The Minnesota Timberwolves were advancing past the Los Angeles Lakers with a 103-96 win in Game 5.
Rudy Gobert subbed out of the game. There were 38 seconds left, but the win was in hand, and Lakers fans were headed for the exits at Crypto.com Arena. Gobert finished with a playoff-career high of 27 points and hauled in 24 rebounds (9 offensive rebounds) – his best game of the series after being played off the court down the stretch in the previous two.
Minnesota’s bench was losing its mind, pushing Gobert around as he did the Lakers all night. After an underwhelming series filled with much scrutiny from outsiders, Gobert could have fed into the hype his teammates were giving him.
Instead, in the moment, Gobert calmed himself and the bench down, making sure they didn’t cross their outburst onto the court, which could have resulted in a technical foul, even though it probably didn’t matter. It wasn’t until LA called a timeout shortly after that Rudy let out a roar of emotions.
As he was all night, Gobert remained the equalizer, even when the game was over and his work was done. He saved the Wolves from themselves, something Gobert did all season long.
In Game 5, JJ Redick benched Jaxson Hayes from the starting lineup and went with the small-ball lineup he had used for the entire second half in Game 4. The lineup featured a frontcourt of Dorian Finney-Smith (6’7”) and Rui Hachimura (6’8”). LA’s small-ball approach spaced Minnesota out in the second half of Game 4, playing Gobert off the floor.
If Los Angeles had gotten off to a hot start in Game 5, it would have made sense for Chris Finch to bring Naz Reid off the bench early, replacing Gobert and going with a smaller lineup. Finch leaned on Reid down the stretch in Games 3 and 4. It paid off, as Minnesota outscored LA 32-9 over the final five minutes of each game.
However, Gobert asserted his size early, and LA couldn’t contain him defensively, which he felt was percolating as the series progressed.
“Over the course of the series, I felt like it was getting harder and harder for them to keep me off the boards,” Gobert said. “They had a lot of energy early on. It’s just hard for them to keep me off the boards. It’s a lot of effort.”
Gobert was up to nine points on 4 of 4 from the floor after the first quarter. He had yet to stake an advantage on the glass, only tallying two rebounds, but he made it known early that Game 5 would be different than the previous four.
He had a solid first stint in Game 4, pulling in four offensive rebounds in his first eight minutes after having three combined offensive rebounds through the first three games. However, Gobert blew four shots at the rim and committed two fouls.
It was a step in the right direction, and Gobert finished the game with 10 rebounds. Still, fewer than he probably would have liked. Gobert thought he had been unlucky on the glass but knew he had to be better at converting at the rim.
“Last game, I feel like I had a lot of great positions, but the ball was bouncing the opposite way almost every time,” Gobert said. “I knew that there was going to be a game where I get a little bit more luck, it comes my way, and I just had to be better at finishing.”
The Timberwolves gained a 3-1 series lead with Gobert being a relative non-factor. Minnesota’s small-ball lineups were working well. However, Finch knew that the Wolves would eventually need a big Gobert night, and boy did they ever need one in Game 5.
“We knew we had to have it at some point in this series,” said Finch. “He was awesome tonight, just shedding defenders. [The] nine offensive rebounds, super active on defense, and finished extremely well when he had the opportunity.”
Minnesota was beating itself all night. The Wolves shot 7 of 47 (14.9%) from deep, 36 of 89 (40.4%) overall, and got in early foul trouble when Randle and McDaniels picked up three quick fouls early in the first half.
LA didn’t have a particularly good night offensively, either. The Lakers shot 33 of 78 (42.3%) from the floor and 11 of 37 (29.7%) from deep. However, it appeared they would walk out of their win-or-stay-home contest victorious, not because of anything they did.
Instead, it would be because of what the Wolves didn’t do.
Edwards finished the night 0 of 11 from deep. McDaniels only played 18 minutes due to foul trouble and logged eight points. Julius Randle started the game strong (8 points in his first 9 minutes) and ended with some clutch buckets. However, he was also limited in the first half due to foul trouble. Donte DiVincenzo was 2 of 12 from deep.
It would have been one of those nights. Something the Wolves tried to brush off as another blip on the radar before returning home to take care of business in front of their home fans. Gobert ensured it didn’t happen, saving the Wolves from beating themselves.
“Rudy played phenomenal, man,” Edwards said. “He was the dragon tonight, for sure. … He was a dragon from Game of Thrones tonight. He was incredible.”
During the 39 minutes with Gobert on the floor, the Wolves outscored LA by 18 and recorded a 118.7 offensive rating and a 97.3 defensive rating. During the nine minutes with Gobert off, the Lakers outscored Minnesota by 11, and the Wolves recorded 70 offensive and 119 defensive ratings.
Gobert’s tone-setting on the glass and forceful dunks electrified his team, giving the Wolves a spark when nothing else worked. Still, it was a collective effort to get Gobert his playoff career-high 27 points. Minnesota didn’t do a good job of keeping Rudy involved in the offense through the first four games. However, a change in LA’s defensive scheme on Wednesday allowed the Wolves to find their big man repeatedly.
“[The Lakers] became a little bit more aggressive on the ball in this game,” Finch said. “That released Rudy’s rolls, which we haven’t really been able to capitalize on all series. We just trusted the right play, and I thought our guys were really good in finding him in those moments.”
All season long, Gobert has been the consistent equalizer that the Wolves sometimes lacked, especially against lousy opponents when Minnesota lacked energy. Finch and Gobert’s teammates praised Gobert for showing up when nobody else does, which is a staple of a leader.
Gobert isn’t flashy, and the clips that probably went viral on social media throughout this series misrepresented his game. Gobert’s play may not always be appealing, and he can sometimes look disoriented. However, Gobert is a winner, especially when his team isn’t playing like one.
“Rudy is a winner at the highest level,” Finch said. “He drives winning. You can not like who he is, how he does it, what he looks like, etc. When you have this guy on your team, you understand what a professional and a winner is.
“He is just such a competitor, as well. He doesn’t listen to the outside noise. We don’t listen to the outside noise. No one is happier for Rudy than his teammates right now, particularly Anthony. But everyone on the floor knew that it was Rudy’s night, and nobody was around to stop him.”
The Wolves ended LA’s season because of Gobert. They proved all ten of the ESPN panelists wrong and muted the deafening noise Lakers fans created. That noise is now a faint cry in the rearview mirror. On a night when nothing worked for his team, Gobert surged Minnesota to the second round.
