For years now, Gobert has been a safety net for Minnesota when things aren’t going well, particularly against cellar dwellers. His interior dominance creates a high floor. If opponents can’t score at the rim and have to battle for every rebound, Minnesota automatically becomes three times more difficult to beat.

Rudy Gobert had playoff career highs of 27 points and 24 rebounds, Julius Randle added 23 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves advanced in the NBA playoffs with a 103-96 victory over the Los Angeles

The Timberwolves started trolling the Lakers immediately after their series victory ... and haven't stopped yet.

The Los Angeles Lakers had their season ended by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, suffering a humbling 103–96 defeat on their home court in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.

Rudy Gobert recorded two playoff career-highs to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 and advance to the NBA Western Conference Semifinals.