Magic Johnson Gave Painfully Simple Reason Lakers Got Eliminated by Timberwolves

Kristen Wong | May 1, 2025

Magic Johnson speaks to the fans during the jersey retirement of Michael Cooper during halftime of the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena on January 13, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. / Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Lakers' season ended Wednesday night in Game 5's 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, as superstars LeBron James and Luka Doncic fell short in their attempts to save their team from playoff elimination.

James and Doncic each had solid offensive nights, scoring over 20 points apiece—but the Lakers' offense wasn't what cost them the game, according to franchise great Magic Johnson.

Johnson was likely watching the tense game come down to the wire in the fourth quarter just like every other NBA fan, and he offered an honest postgame assessment of the Lakers' flaws down the stretch.

The NBA legend first congratulated the Timberwolves for their big win before bluntly criticizing his team:

"Congratulations to my good friend Minnesota Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, superstar Anthony Edwards and the entire Minnesota Timberwolves team for beating my Lakers and advancing to the next round," Johnson wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "The reason the Lakers lost was because they played awful on defense, they were too small, and the Timberwolves dominated them in the paint."

Congratulations to my good friend Minnesota Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, superstar Anthony Edwards and the entire Minnesota Timberwolves team for beating my Lakers and advancing to the next round. The reason the Lakers lost was because they played awful on defense, they…

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 1, 2025

Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert played a crucial role in helping Minnesota clinch the series after his shooting struggles in the first four games, putting together arguably the best playoff game of his career with 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year also had 24 rebounds.

With Gobert dominating the paint, the Lakers didn't seem to have the size or defense inside to match him. For now, it's back to the drawing board for JJ Redick and the Lakers, while the Timberwolves will take on the winner of the Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets series in the next round.

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