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The Los Angeles Lakers had a very thriving first season with Luka Doncic, but it’s over.
Doncic, who led the Dallas Mavericks all along in last season’s NBA Finals, failed to help the Lakers get out of the first round in the 2025 NBA playoffs.
Rudy Gobert dominated the Lakers’ small lineup with a playoff career-high 27 points, an astounding 24 rebounds, nine offensive ends and two blocks in victory.
Doncic, who injured his back in the second quarter, led the Lakers with 28 points.
A small favorite before the series began, the Lakers had no chance against the Timberwolves’ three Bigs and superstar Anthony Edwards. Since buying Doncic on February 3rd, Los Angeles has had to implement a small ball lineup against the enemy without a true center.
The Lakers thought they had obtained an Anthony Davis replacement when they agreed to trade with the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Willams, but the trade was later revoked after Williams physically failed. That decision may be the biggest reason why the Lakers are coming home early.
Without a true center to help protect the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner at Gobert, the Lakers would have struggled with the Timberwolves’ size and rebound. Minnesota dominated all the series of Attack Glass, including Game 5, giving the Timberwolves multiple second chance opportunities.
If that wasn’t the trio that Goatbert, Julius Randle and Nazreed dominated paint against the Lakers, it was Anthony Edwards’ current and current heroics of the NBA’s current face.
Every time the Timberwolves needed a basket later in the game, it was Edwards who delivered.
The Lakers led late in the fourth quarter in both Minnesota’s third games 3 and 4, but it was Edwards who delayed the run of Doncic and LeBron James Lakers duo.
When the final buzzer rang, James walked straight from the court and stepped straight into the offseason with an uncertain future.
James finished with 17 points, which could be the final game of his NBA career.
One of James’s only motivations to return this season at age 40 was to play with his son, Bronnie James Jr.
James is the NBA’s all-time high scorer and leads in almost every major statistical category. He often said that when he decided to retire, he would suddenly do it without farewell tours or fan fares. But even at 40, he still plays at a high level, averaging 26.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists this year’s playoffs.
After the decision on whether James will play for Purple and Gold next season, the Lakers’ next move is to find a capable big guy to play alongside Doncic and the team’s wing defender.
Lakers current centre Jackson Hayes went into the departure role after the Davis for Doncic trade, but was virtually unplayable in the postseason, and Max Clever didn’t even see the court in Game 5.
The dominant big man in the entire season and training camp to play with Doncic, and James can be seduced to return to 23 seasons, but only time will tell if LeBron wants to continue the grind and playoffs for an 82-game season. James has won two playoff series in five years since the Lakers won the 2020 championship in the bubble, and is less close to matching Michael Jordan’s six-ring than he was four years ago.
Another positive for the Lakers is their first year and first coach JJ Redick. Redick appears to be working well with James and Doncic, leading the team to the third seed in a very difficult Western Conference.
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