Rudy Gobert stats vs. Lakers: Shaq begrudgingly praises Wolves big man after dominant Game 5 performance

Daniel Chavkin

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Rudy Gobert stats vs. Lakers: Shaq begrudgingly praises Wolves big man after dominant Game 5 performance image

The Timberwolves closed out the series against the Lakers on Wednesday night, defeating Los Angeles 103-96 in Game 5.

A big reason for the victory was Rudy Gobert, who had no issues against a Lakers team that was notably missing a serviceable center next to LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Minnesota's size, led by Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid, proved to be too much for Los Angeles, who went small without a center for most of the game.

Gobert has been an oft-criticized player, but he came up big when it mattered most to close out Los Angeles in the first round. He even forced his biggest critic, Shaquille O'Neal, to give him some praise in the TNT studio.

Here's a breakdown of Gobert's big night for the Timberwolves.

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Rudy Gobert stats vs. Lakers in Game 5

Gobert had a dominant closeout performance against the Lakers, as Los Angeles had no match for Minnesota's size. The Timberwolves center produced the fifth 20-point, 20-rebound game in Timberwolves playoff history, with Kevin Garnett being the only other player on that list.

However, what made Gobert's performance so impressive was the efficiency. Gobert scored 27 points on over 80 percent shooting, one of the most efficient performances in NBA playoff history. The showing was especially surprising considering Gobert had 14 points in the previous four games of the series.

Here's a look at Gobert's full Game 5 stats:

  • Minutes: 39
  • Points: 27
  • Rebounds: 24
  • Blocks: 2
  • FGM/FGA: 12/15
  • FTM/FTA: 3/6

Rudy Gobert-Shaq beef, explained

Throughout Gobert's career, Shaquille O'Neal has been very critical of the center, believing that the Timberwolves center is not worth his contract. However, at halftime of Game 5 against the Lakers, O'Neal had to give Gobert credit for the way he was playing.

"Rudy Gobert is dominating," O'Neal said while pretending to gag. "Rudy Gobert is dominating and I'm happy for him."

Then, after the game ended, the rest of the TNT panel praised Gobert even more, calling him "Superman" as Shaq smiled sheepishly.

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    Rudy Gobert points career high

    Gobert has only scored more than 27 points four times in his career, including 35 points twice. Most recently, Gobert scored 35 points against the Nets near the end of the regular season.

    DateOpponentPoints
    April 11, 2025Nets35
    March 22, 2017Knicks35
    January 27, 2021Mavericks29
    January 18, 2020Kings28

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    Daniel Chavkin

    Daniel Chavkin is a Digital Content Producer for The Sporting News. A 2018 graduate from the University of Maryland, he has previously written for Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports and NFLTradeRumors.com.