Timberwolves overtime: 10 things to know after the Game 5 victory in Los Angeles

Rudy Gobert stood tall with 27 points and 24 rebounds in the Timberwolves’ 103-96 Game 5 victory that sent Luka Doncic, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers home for the summer after a 4-1 first-round NBA series loss.

TNT studio host and Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal did something he’d otherwise never do during Wednesday’s Games 5 broadcast from Los Angeles.

He praised Gobert for his play.

O’Neal did so after he pretended to gag on his words.

“I hate to say it, but Rudy Gobert is dominating,” Shaq said. “I’m happy for him.”

Gobert’s 1-for-6 performance in Game 4 was his worst of the season. In Game 4, the Lakers went smaller than they even already had and Gobert played big.

Really big.

He was the first Wolf to reach double-digit scoring early in the second quarter. He had 15 points on 10-for-17 shooting with eight rebounds and a block while he played 20 minutes by halftime. His putback slam put some punctuation.

Gobert finished with 27 points, 24 rebounds — nine of them offensive — and two blocks on a night veteran Mike Conley hits big three late in game.

Ten more things to know about the game and series.

If they win that game as the seventh seed, the best-of-seven second round series will start at Target Center on Monday and Wednesday.

If the Warriors or the Rockets win in seven games, the next series starts on Tuesday. The Rockets, as the No. 2 seed in the West, would play host to the first two games Tuesday and Thursday.

2. Lakers coach JJ Redick changed his starting lineup Wednesday, going even smaller after he played the same five players for Sunday’s entire second half in Game 4.

Big man Jaxson Hayes came out of the starting five while Dorian Finney-Smith started and played until he fouled out with six minutes left. The change presumably was intended to further take Gobert out of the action, but it didn’t. Gobert started 4-for-4 on dunks and layups in the first quarter, which ended with a 31-22 Wolves lead.

3. Redick was asked during his pregame media session about playing the same five players throughout Sunday’s second half. He replied, asking if the question implied the rookie coach made an inexperienced decision before he dropped the mike and walked gruffly out of the room.

4. Lakers superstar Doncic noticeably hobbled with a hurting back to the locker room shortly before halftime after Wolves guard Donte DiVincenzo knocked him roughly to the floor on a drive to the rim. He took the floor after halftime, coming down the corridor just before the third quarter began, but noticeably struggled to move normally.

Then he went out in the third quarter and scored 13 of his 28 points, even with the bad back.

5. James couldn’t avoid injury, either. He went down hard clutching his left leg after colliding with (and getting fouled by) DiVincenzo with ninw minutes left.

James left the court, but returned two minutes later with the Wolves lead 87-85.

6. Did you know: In the 291 times a team has taken a 3-1 series lead, only 13 times has the opponent come back to win the series?

7. Wolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards missed all 11 three-pointers he tried. He had just 10 points after his team led 59-49 at halftime and finished with 15 points but had 11 rebounds and eight assists.

8. Early foul trouble: Wolves two-way standout Jaden McDaniels and Doncic both picked up two fouls each in the game’s first 4 ½ minutes.

McDaniels came out of the game, replaced by Nickeil Alexander-Walker, while Doncic stayed in.

McDaniels and Julius Randle each got in foul trouble with three each early in the second quarter. McDaniels played just six first-half minutes, Randle 10. McDaniels fouled out with 4:25 left in the game. A minute later, Randle made a clutch runner for a 93-88 lead with 3½ minutes left.

9. The Wolves started the game 1-for-8 on three and still led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter had. They a 9-0 run after Alexander-Walker got the Wolves back starting to hit threes.

Doncic missed his first five shots and didn’t make one from the field until midway through the second quarter, when he had eight points and the Lakers scratched back within 47-41.’

10. Sunday’s Wolves-Lakers game Game 4 on ABC averaged 7,345,000 viewers, the second-most watched Round 1, Game 4 on ESPN platforms. It peaked with 10,274,000 viewers at 5:30 pm Central time. Viewership was 32 percent more than last season’s comparable game the L.A. Clippers-Dallas Game 4.