Updated NBA Playoff Bracket 2025 Picture, Schedule as Lakers Eliminated, Rockets Win
The season was hanging in the balance for the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds in the Western Conference on Wednesday.
The second-seeded Houston Rockets and third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers both needed to defend home-court advantage in Game 5 of their respective series to prevent a quick exit in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.
Houston's situation was a bit more understandable, as it is a young team battling a Golden State Warriors squad with a championship pedigree. The Lakers, on the other hand, have LeBron James and Luka Dončić but have struggled to create any momentum in their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Here is a look at what transpired in the critical matchups.
Wednesday Scores
Game 5: Houston Rockets def. Golden State Warriors, 131-116
Game 5: Minnesota Timberwolves def. Los Angeles Lakers, 103-96
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies (OKC wins series 4-0)
Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers (DEN leads 3-2)
Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors (GS leads 3-2)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (MIN wins series 4-1)
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat (CLE wins series 4-0)
Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks (IND wins series 4-1)
New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons (NYK leads 3-2)
Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic (BOS wins series 4-1)
Upcoming Playoff Schedule: Thursday, May 1
Game 6: New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m. ET
Game 6: Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers, 10 p.m. ET
Wednesday Results
Houston made it clear from the start it wasn't going down without a fight.
It poured in 40 points in the first quarter alone on the way to a 27-point halftime lead as Fred VanVleet continued his torrid outside shooting. Dillon Brooks mixed in some early triples as well, and Golden State also struggled to find an answer for Alperen Şengün on the inside.
The Rockets didn't just set the tone offensively.
Amen Thompson was a force of nature on the defensive side as he created turnovers and challenged outside shooters. The Warriors were never able to get into a rhythm until they were staring at a daunting deficit, and his defense was a primary driving force for those struggles.
The second half felt like a formality when the Warriors emptied their bench in the third quarter. Yet even that turned into a storyline, as head coach Steve Kerr never brought back Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Co. even when the subs cut into the lead during the fourth quarter.
Ultimately, Golden State was never able to truly threaten the Rockets in the closing stretch that also included a scuffle.
All five Houston starters scored in double figures with VanVleet (26 points), Brooks (24 points), Şengün (15 points, nine assists and nine rebounds) and Thompson (25 points, six rebounds, five steals and three blocks) all stuffing the stat sheet.
Curry (13 points) and Butler (eight points) failed to keep pace on the other side when they were in the contest, and the Warriors will try once again to close out the series when they return home for Game 6.
Unlike Golden State, Minnesota was able to take care of business and close out its series.
It wasn't for a lack of fight from the Lakers, though, as Dončić labored through an apparent back injury that forced him to the locker room in the second quarter. Although he struggled to run or even move on the defensive end, he still managed 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in a gutsy showing.
But it wasn't enough to overcome a stunning performance from Rudy Gobert.
The Timberwolves big man rescued his team from an abysmal shooting performance and finished with 27 points and 24 rebounds. Los Angeles had no interior defense to stop his easy looks, and his ability to keep possessions alive on the offensive glass also proved critical in crunch time.
Gobert's overall showing was all the more important because the visitors were an ugly 7-of-47 (14.9 percent) from three-point range. Typically, a shooting performance like that is a guaranteed loss in the NBA, but Minnesota had enough offense in crunch time.
Julius Randle started attacking the rim and mismatches on his way to 23 points and even took over the offense at times as Anthony Edwards (15 points and 0-of-11 shooting from deep) struggled.
It marked the end of the road for James, Dončić and Co., and the Timberwolves will now wait for the winner of the series between Houston and Golden State.
