The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs on Wednesday by the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing in five games after a lackluster performance in the first round.
The Lakers were dominated on the boards, as Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert finished with a game-high 24 rebounds. No player on the Lakers recorded more than seven, highlighting their need for more help on the low block.
Los Angeles attempted to rectify that issue with a trade after sending Anthony Davis to the Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic. The Lakers looked to trade for Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams, but the deal fell through due to a failed physical.
After the Lakers backed out of the deal, Williams went back to the Hornets. Following Wednesday night’s game, he shared a meme making fun of the Lakers after their loss.
Mark Williams on IG celebrating the Lakers’ downfall: pic.twitter.com/aiCVP5lCW3
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 1, 2025
“My agent told me,” Williams said about the deal back in February, right after it fell through.
“I didn’t think I had failed my physical. That didn’t even cross my mind. The night I got traded I played hella minutes. I didn’t think in any world that was possible. Since I’ve been back since the start of the year, I’ve played games with a lot of minutes.
I feel like every injury I’ve had has been well-documented and I’ve recovered and been 100 percent since. So, I don’t know what went into that decision. I think that’s up to them.”
© Nell Redmond-Imagn Images
The Lakers seemed to do well in the regular season, earning the No. 3 seed and winning 50 games. They ran into a poor matchup with the Timberwolves and Gobert, who dominated on the glass in the closeout game on Wednesday and throughout the series.
The deal was supposed to send rookie sharpshooter Dalton Knecht to the Hornets in exchange for Williams, and Knecht was seen as a major piece the Lakers couldn’t part ways with. He ended up being a non-factor in the series, appearing for three minutes across two games in the series.
The Timberwolves will advance to take on the winner of the series between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, which is currently set for Game 6 on Thursday night.
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