In 2021, the Clippers lost Game 5 in the first round of the playoffs to the Dallas Mavericks to go down 3-2 in the best-of-seven series but won the next two games and eventually advanced to the franchise’s first conference finals.

Here the Clippers stand again, having lost Game 5 of the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets to fall behind 3-2 in the best-of-seven series and face a must-win Game 6 on Thursday night at Intuit Dome to stave off elimination.

Clippers center Ivica Zubac was a part of that group in 2021 and he’s a major part of this squad now. He recalled the mental fortitude it took for the Clippers to fight back.

After the Clippers were blown out in Game 5 in Denver on Tuesday night, Zubac said it will probably take even more from them this time because the Nuggets are far more formidable with transcendent superstar Nikola Jokic, with All-Star guard Jamal Murray and home-court advantage.

“We got to win,” Zubac said late Tuesday night in Denver. “We got to win both. Take it one game at a time. It’s an elimination game for us. So, we can’t start out like this. We got to leave everything out there, play hard, whatever it takes, whatever we have to do. We got to be better. We got to be ready to do whatever it takes. Treat it one game at a time. Win a Game 6, give yourself a chance to come back here [to Denver] and try to force a Game 7.”

The Clippers have lost the last two games to the Nuggets and in both defeats James Harden hasn’t been a factor.

Read more:Clippers falter against Nuggets and are one loss away from end of season

He has averaged 13 points per game in the two losses, shot 40% from the field and 25% from three-point range.

It’s become clear that the Nuggets have focused their defense on Harden, making sure that Christian Braun is with Harden every step he takes on the court. Harden hasn’t talked to the media after the last two games so it was left up to Clippers coach Tyronn Lue to explain what’s happening with his All-Star guard.

“I think Denver made their mind up, they are going to try to take him out of the series after the first two or three games,” Lue said late Tuesday night in Denver. “They are doing a good job. I got to do a better job of just finding ways to get him open, to get him space and provide more [isolations], just because they are blitzing him so much and trying to beat him to his spots.”

With their season on the line, Lue also talked about the three-point shooting and the effects that has had on the series.

When the Clippers blew out the Nuggets in Game 3 by 34 points, they shot 18 for 39 (46.2%) from three-point range. When the Nuggets blew out the Clippers in Game 5 by 16 points, they made 17 of 33 (51.5%) from three-point range, and that effort was led by Murray, who shot eight for 14 from three.

“I mean, we got to respond,” Lue said. “We blew them out in Game 3 and they came back and responded in Game 4. So, we got to do the same thing. I mean, I don’t know what changes you can make. They made shots. Like I said, making 17 threes and they blew us out. We made 18 threes and we blew them out. So, the three-point line is going to be the most important thing. We got to make sure we are taking care of that, which we didn’t do a good job of tonight. But going back home, Intuit will be rocking. We’ll be fine.”

Starting slowly is another problem the Clippers have dealt with.

In Game 4, they got down by 20 points in the fourth, took a one-point lead and then lost on a buzzer-beating dunk by Aaron Gordon. In Game 5, the Clippers got down by 22 in the fourth, cut the deficit to eight points and then faded.

“Just try to get out to a better start early,” Kawhi Leonard said Tuesday night. “I think pretty much the whole series they probably got out to a great start on us. Just trying to stay in the game early instead of trying to make the heroic comebacks. That’s all we can do. We got to fight, man.”

In the end, the Clippers win or go home for the summer.

“We got to figure it out,” Zubac said. “We got to be better in Game 6.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

LeBron James wouldn’t commit to a decision about his future Wednesday night, striking a similar tone to his post-series comments after losses in the previous two years.

“I don't have an answer to that,” James said to questions about his future. “[It’s] something I sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play.

“I don't know the answer to that right now to be honest.”

The Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs Wednesday night, the first-round series wrapping with James scoring 22 points.

He has a player option for next season worth $52.6 million.

“I think the only thing is it is up to me or if I want to continue to play or how long continue to play,” he said. “It's ultimately up to me. So it has nothing to do about anybody else.”

In his 22nd season, James played 70 games and averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds. In a wild testament to his continued work ethic, he shot a career-high 78.2% from the free-throw line. In Game 3 against Minnesota, James scored 38 points, the most ever scored in a playoff game by a player 40 years old or older.

Asked about retirement during the season, James said he was comfortable with the thought.

“It won’t be because I can’t play this game at a high level. It won’t be because of that,” he said Dec. 30 on his 40th birthday. “Because to be honest, if I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level probably for about another — it’s weird that I might say this — but probably about another five to seven years, if I wanted to. But I’m not going to do that.”

James emerged as one of the Lakers’ defensive leaders and took on an even bigger role on that side of the court following the team’s trade for Luka Doncic that cost them Anthony Davis.

Read more:Lakers' season comes to a disappointing end with first-round loss to Timberwolves

Wednesday, James jokingly refused to comment when asked about the Lakers needing to play small lineups after the trade, referencing Davis' open desire for the team to acquire a center.

"My guy A.D. said what he needed, and he was gone the following week. So I got no comment," he said to laughs. "With that uniform on every night, I gave everything I had. And that's all that matters."

Coach JJ Redick consistently praised James’ competitive endurance throughout the season. Wednesday, James gave a full-on endorsement to Redick for his first season on the Lakers’ bench.

“I don't know what the roster will look like. I don't know where I stand right now, but I think whatever happens, I think JJ is gonna continue to grow,” James said Wednesday. “Thought he had a hell of a rookie campaign for a rookie coach. And it's a lot different being a rookie coach. It's already hard being a rookie coach in the NBA. And it's a hell of a lot harder being a rookie head coach coaching the Lakers. It's a whole ‘nother ball game.

Read more:It goes beyond LeBron and a podcast: Why the Lakers decided to hire JJ Redick

“And I thought he handled it extremely well. I thought he just learned every single day, held us accountable. He pushed us. I thought JJ and his coaching staff were great throughout the whole season. That was pretty cool.”

James almost certainly will make his 21st consecutive All-NBA team, a run of sustained greatness that’s never been equaled. He also accomplished a personal goal of playing with his oldest son, Bronny. The two became the NBA's first father-and-son teammates on opening night and the first father and son to score in the same game Oct. 30 in Cleveland.

After playing on the second night of back-to-back games out of the All-Star break, James pointed to a continued passion for his sport and a responsibility to show Bronny how to be a professional.

“I still love the game and I still got a lot to give to the game, to give to my teammates, to give to this league for while I’m here. I don’t have much time left,” James said in February. “So, while I’m here today in this time, I’m going to try to give what I got when I’m out on the floor. So, why? It’s the love of the game and I have an opportunity now to show my son the ranks of how to be a professional in this league.”

Wednesday in his final comments, James called playing with his son his greatest achievement in the NBA.

“That's easy,” he said. “It is not even close. To be able to play the game that I love and to be able to be along with my son this whole year has been one of the most gratifying, satisfying journeys I've ever been on.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Once again, excitement became embarrassment.

Once again, a promise was broken.

Once again, the Lakers weren’t fast enough or skilled enough or deep enough or strong enough.

Once again, blowing up in the first round of the playoffs for the third time in five years, the Lakers just weren’t good enough.

But it’s rarely felt this bad.

Rarely has Crypto.com Arena been as quiet while a playoff game was being played as it was Wednesday in the final minute of a 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With 39 seconds left, fans silently filled the aisles and literally turned their back on their beloved Lakers, who historically dropped this first-round series four games to one.

Historically, because it was the first time the Lakers have lost a first-round series as a three-seed or higher.

No, they have never folded this dramatically.

“Disappointment,” said LeBron James. “Unfulfillment.”

Read more:Lakers' season comes to a disappointing end with first-round loss to Timberwolves

He could say that again. Disappointment in that they had finished the season as one of the best teams in the league. Unfulfillment in that many thought they were worthy of a march toward a championship.

They lost even though they had thrilled their fans and frightened the league with their February addition of Luka Doncic.

They lost even though 40-year-old James was inspired by the addition of his son, Bronny, and had one of his most complete seasons ever.

They lost even though Austin Reaves had a breakout season as a scorer worthy of giving the Lakers a legitimate Big Three.

They lost even though it was generally agreed that JJ Redick was having an outstanding rookie season.

They lost because Minnesota was everything they wanted to be, but were not.

They lost because Minnesota was tougher in the clutch, out-scoring the Lakers by 42 points in the series' five fourth quarters.

They lost because Minnesota wasn’t about the hype, the Timberwolves were about the struggle, the battle for each possession, doubling their second-chance points on Wednesday, competing in each individual battle as if it were their last.

They lost because Minnesota was stronger in the paint, dominating the Lakers so thoroughly that Wednesday’s game-leading scorer was defensive specialist Rudy Gobert, who had 27 points and 24 rebounds against a defenseless Laker interior.

Minnesota was more of a team, more collaborative, more together, more committed.

“They were just the better team this series, to be honest,” said Dorian Finney-Smith.

To be honest, the game was played as if the Lakers were already beaten, as if their pregame chant was a reprise of former guard Nick Van Exel’s infamous “1-2-3 Cancun!” chant in 1998 before the Lakers were swept by the Utah Jazz.

The Lakers were on the brink of elimination, yet it was the Timberwolves who played with desperation. The Lakers were on the verge of ending their season on their home court, yet it was the Timberwolves who played with all the passion.

The Timberwolves jumped to a 14-point lead in the first quarter and settled into a 10-point lead at halftime with an even bigger edge in body language.

The Lakers came back to briefly take the lead at the end of the third quarter, and even led by a point on a Doncic rainbow jumper with 6:29 remaining, but what ensued was typical of a team that had no idea how to play with their backs against the wall.

James airball. Gobert follow-up dunk. Maxi Kleber — what was he doing in the game? — miss. James miss. Doncic miss. James miss. Kleber stepped on the baseline. And so on.

The game ended appropriately with Minnesota’s Naz Reid grabbing an offensive rebound off a Timberwolves missed free throw attempt and hugging the ball like Minnesota hugged this victory.

That fourth quarter showed some of the Lakers vulnerability, starting with James’ age. He clearly wore down, as he made just two baskets in the last two fourth quarters.

Then there was Reaves, who had a generally lousy series with five baskets in the four fourth quarters and eight of 10 missed pointers in the deciding game.

Read more:Plaschke: JJ Redick for Dan Hurley was the Lakers' trade of the year

“You can point the finger at me,” Reaves said. “I didn’t play good enough for us to be successful.”

Reaves is right. He was their biggest disappointment. But help could be coming for all of them.

While any first-round loss is a stain on the Lakers' legacy, at least this loss comes with hope.

Hope that this team is not far from being a championship team. Hope that this coach is not far from being an outstanding coach. Hope that they are closer to greatness than this loss to the Timberwolves would indicate.

Remember, for all of their veteran savvy, this team is still a relative toddler, the two best players having been together barely three months and their coach in his first year.

“We just probably need a little more time together,” said Finney-Smith.

James and Doncic will mesh better next season if both return, and both are expected to return.

James has all but confirmed that he wants to end his career as a Lakers, so he’s not expected to use his player option to flee, and he’s aged so incredibly, even his biggest critics must admit that he should stay.

In recent years, this space has repeatedly called for James to be traded, but no more. This year he proved that his entertainment value outweighs any burden his contract places on the roster, and now that he has the exciting Doncic as his running mate, his veteran leadership could actually lead to one more title in the probable two years before he calls it quits.

“I don’t have an answer to that,” said James late Wednesday when asked about retirement. “We’ll see.”

He always says that. And he’s always returned.

Doncic could also leave by expressing such unhappiness that the Lakers would be forced to trade him before his contract expires after next season, but he seems to like it here.

Doncic has constantly expressed great respect for the franchise and its grandiose history, and this week he put his money behind that respect by contributing $5,000 to the restoration of a graffiti-scarred Kobe Bryant mural. This, after he paid for parking for many Laker fans on the night of his Lakers debut.

Doncic is a top-five talent, he’s fun, he’s embraceable, he’s the perfect person to lead the Lakers into the next era.

If Doncic is actually given a preseason to work with James and Reaves, who knows what they can accomplish?

“Anytime you make a big acquisition in the middle of the season it’s always going to be challenging,” said James. “The whole dynamic changed. I still don’t think we had enough time to mesh.”

All they need is … you guessed it … a center.

Read more:Plaschke: I was wrong. Drafting Bronny James was a win for the Lakers

“No comment,” said James. “My guy A.D. said what he needed and he was gone the following week.”

And thus Rob Pelinka, their newly minted president of basketball operations with a newly extended contract, has been giving his summer marching orders.

Find somebody who will ensure that Rudy Gobert doesn’t become Michael Jordan.

Find the one big thing that would also maximize Doncic’s talent and take this team to the next level.

Luka needs a lob partner. He needs a rim protector. He needs the sort of big man that he had in Dallas when he led the Mavs to that improbable NBA Finals appearance.

Everyone thought the Lakers had this big man this winter when Pelinka followed Doncic’s stunning acquisition with a trade for Charlotte’s Mark Williams.

But then the Lakers got cold feet. They worried that they overpaid for Williams, worried that he was too immature for their smart veteran system, and eventually that worry turned a bad physical exam into a deal killer.

They gave Williams back to Charlotte, and Jaxson Hayes was given the job, and by Wednesday night he wasn’t even trusted to play a minute, and so now Pelinka is back to square one.

Find a center.

“We couldn’t get rebounds,” said Rui Hachimura. “We need somebody to get rebounds.”

The Lakers so obviously need that somebody, on Wednesday night they were even trolled by Williams himself on X.

Redick should also be better next season. He was surprisingly adept in his rookie year as a head coach at any level, but he scuffled in the postseason. He was publicly questioned by Magic Johnson after the Lakers Game 1 loss, and then he was questioned by the rest of the basketball world after playing the same five players the entire second half of the Game 4 loss.

Redick reacted to the most recent criticism before Wednesday night’s game by barking back at a media questioner who seemed to imply that he needed to rely more on the wisdom of his veteran assistant coaches.

“Are you saying that I’m because I’m inexperienced and that was an ‘inexperienced’ decision that I made?” Redick asked. “You think I don’t talk to my assistants about rotations every single timeout?”

The questioner responded, “No, I just think a lot of coaches lean on their assistants in those situations.”

Redick fired back, saying, “As do I. Every single time. That’s a weird assumption.”

With that, Redick walked out of the press conference. That was probably going to be the last question anyway, but it was a bad look that Redick left before it officially ended.

“I can get a lot better,” Redick said of his rookie year.

His team thought he was just fine.

“JJ will continue to grow,” said James. “He had a helluva campaign for a rookie coach. I thought he handled it extremely well.”

These Lakers should continue to grow. They’d better. For all of their success, for all of their promise, the 2024-25 season can only be summed up one way.

They were entertaining, they were intriguing and they were a failure.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

‘Angry Tatum' arrives: What we learned from Celtics-Magic series originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics didn’t play with their food and eliminated the Orlando Magic in five games. They were rewarded with five full days of rest before their Eastern Conference semifinal series launches Monday night.

The extra time allows the Celtics to kick back while the Knicks and Pistons slug it out to see who will be on the other side of that Round 2 matchup. The Celtics get ample time to rest bumps and bruises, and can sit comfortably on their sofas watching the rest of the playoff action (like the rival Lakers getting bounced in Round 1 on Wednesday night). 

While we await Boston’s Round 2 opponent, let’s take a look back at Round 1, and four of the biggest things we learned from the Celtics’ gentleman’s sweep of the frisky and physical Magic: 

1. Angry Tatum is a bad man

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope seemingly woke a sleeping beast with his hard foul that severely bruised Jayson Tatum’s wrist in Game 1. Seething after missing Game 2, Tatum became the only Celtics player not named Larry Bird to score 35+ points in three straight playoff games.

Tatum set up a residency at the free throw line, connecting on 37 straight free throws to close out the series, all while making double-digit freebies in each of the final three games. 

Tatum’s averages over those last three games: 36 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals over 38.6 minutes per game. He shot 47.6 percent from the floor and 44 percent beyond the 3-point arc. The Celtics were +42 in his 116 minutes.

Tatum even debuted a new celebration at the suggestion of rookie Baylor Scheierman, in which he clasped that injured wrist right with his left hand with arms extended over head after 3-point makes. The suggestion is seemingly that, even with their flagrant ways, the Magic couldn’t hurt Tatum. In fact, the injury only seemed to make him stronger.

Despite Tatum’s strong overall postseason play throughout his career, the knock has always been a dip in efficiency. In 39 games between the 2023 and 2024 postseasons, Tatum shot just 44.3 percent from the floor and 30.5 percent beyond the 3-point arc.

If Tatum is the offensive wrecking ball we saw in Games 3, 4, and 5 against Orlando, good luck stopping the Celtics in their quest to repeat. 

Tatum’s on/off differential in Round 1 was a team-best +21.6. The Celtics outscored opponents by 21 points per 100 possessions in his 156 minutes on the court. Tatum clearly fueled Boston’s offense, but the Celtics’ defensive rating was 23.4 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court than off (a team-best 95.3 during his on-court minutes).

Pundits have wanted Tatum to play with an edge throughout his career, and the injury in Game 1 sure seemed to give Tatum an extra bit of motivation while shredding whatever defense the Magic threw at him.

Tatum also admitted to playing a bit more “carefree” so far this postseason, having won a championship that took any extra weight off his shoulders.

2. Call him Al D. Sure!

… Because 38-year-old Al Horford is bringing elite defense “Nite and Day.” 

Horford limited the Magic to 25-of-75 shooting (33.3 percent) in Round 1. That’s 11.4 percent below expected output, per NBA tracking. Both marks led the Celtics’ regulars in the series. 

Franz Wagner generated just 10 points on 4-of-22 shooting with three blocked shots when defended by Horford in the series. In Game 4, Horford held Wagner and teammate Paolo Banchero to seven points on 3-of-15 shooting overall.

He swatted five shots that night, becoming only the second player aged 38 or older to accomplish that feat. (The other: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).

Among the 118 players with more than 25 shots defended in Round 1, Horford currently ranks second in the playoffs in defensive field goal percentage, trailing only the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard (31.5 percent).

Just a couple months shy of his 39th birthday, Horford continues to elevate his play when the games matter most. Injuries to teammates had him starting four of the five games against Orlando, while his minutes have already spiked from the regular season.

Horford is vital to whatever comes next. He was Boston’s best defender against Karl-Anthony Towns if the Knicks advance, and both the Cavaliers and Pacers have talented frontcourts that will stress teams on both ends of the floor. 

3. The Celtics can win without the 3

The Celtics set an NBA record for 3-pointers with 1,457 makes during the regular season. They hoisted a staggering 48.2 attempts per game and put teams in a math bind with their “3 is greater than 2” strategy.

Pundits breathlessly wondered how Boston would win if it didn’t make 3-pointers in the playoffs. Then the Celtics drew the Magic, the best team in the league at taking away the 3, and showed they could diversify. 

The Celtics averaged just 11.8 3-point makes on 31.2 attempts per game in Round 1 (down from 17.8 and 48.2 in the regular season). That essentially forced Boston to make up 18 points of production in alternate ways, which the team did, including with a noticeable uptick in scoring at the free throw line.

Orlando’s anemic offense certainly helped mask the Celtics’ lack of 3-point makes, but the C’s were forced to find other ways to generate their own points. More encouraging is that it feels like the floodgates could open if future opponents aren’t able to take away that shot to the level the Magic did.

It didn’t help that Kristaps Porzingis battled a “janky” shot while shooting 11.8 percent beyond the 3-point arc in Round 1. Even the ever-steady Derrick White dipped to 35.9 percent from 3-point range.

Getting those guys back to their regular-season levels is important moving forward. But the shot quality almost has to spike after the Magic did everything in their power to run the Celtics off the line for much of the series.

4. Health is vital in quest to repeat

For the second straight season, the Celtics just keep chugging whenever injuries leave them shorthanded. Boston lost Tatum for Game 2 and watched Jaylen Brown turn in a gem to open a 2-0 series lead.

Jrue Holiday missed three games with a hamstring injury, and the Celtics tripped up just once. And all this comes one year after Porzingis appeared in just seven of Boston’s 19 playoff games.

And yet, Round 1 was a reminder of how vital health can be. The Celtics are blessed with depth, but there’s a noticeable impact when you don’t have Holiday and his defensive versatility available. The margin for error gets slimmer when Brown’s knee ailment leaves him at something less than 100 percent on a given night. 

The Celtics are fortunate to have quality depth. Even in a series in which he struggled to have a consistent offensive impact, Sam Hauser finished with a team-best on-court rating of +26.9. Payton Pritchard had a couple quiet offensive games on the road but played inspired defense throughout and had a +20.4 net rating in 134 minutes of court time.

It’s still jarring that only one Celtics lineup played more than 18 minutes together in Round 1. The double-big starting group of Horford, Porzingis, Brown, Tatum, and White logged 39 minutes over four games but had a minus-13.9 net rating in that span. Another double-big lineup with Kornet in place of Porzingis got the second-most minutes (18 over three appearances) and had a minus-21.5 net rating.

The Celtics otherwise cobbled it together throughout Round 1 and still found a way to win four of five games. On the positive side: The preferred starting five with Holiday in the mix had a +44.4 net rating in a small 13-minute sample. That’s still encouraging after that group struggled to find its footing at times during the regular season. 

The Magic were feisty. Bigger challenges are almost certainly on their way. The Celtics need all their horses to navigate whatever is ahead.

Brooks has blunt explanation for late-game scuffle with Spencer, TJD originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Dillon Brooks offered a short but direct explanation for the late-game scuffle between Houston Rockets and Warriors players in Game 5 of their Western Conference playoff matchup Wednesday night at Toyota Center.

“He’s talking too much,” Brooks said of Warriors guard Pat Spencer after Houston’s 131-116 win over Golden State (h/t Space City Home Network).

Brooks sat at the podium next to Rockets center Alperen Şengün, who also was involved in the physical altercation but didn’t comment on the incident. Instead, he let Brooks explain and smirked at his response.

#Rockets beat the Warriors 131-116 to force a game 6 Friday

Dillon Brooks 🏀24 PTS🏀7-13 FG🏀8-8 FT🏀@HoustonRockets I #Liftoffpic.twitter.com/AEi4lT59QA

— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) May 1, 2025

The game was well over before the clock read 0:00 as the Rockets led by as many as 31 points before Warriors coach Steve Kerr cleared his bench and pulled his starters with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

But Golden State’s second- and third-stringers built some momentum and managed to bring the game within 13 points with about five minutes remaining in the contest. And as the deficit decreased, the tension increased.

Midway through the final frame, Spencer was bumped by Şengün during a dead ball, who responded by headbumping the All-Star. Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis immediately came to his teammate’s defense, shoving Şengün away before players were separated.

TJD WANTED ALL THE SMOKE 😳 pic.twitter.com/jW6M6lVRWD

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 1, 2025

Officials reviewed the play and assessed offsetting technical fouls to Jackson-Davis and Şengün. Spencer received a technical foul and was ejected for an illegal headbutt.

In what already had been a heated previous four games between the two teams, that was no different for the Rockets against the Warriors’ reserves.

And you can bet that will be the same for Game 6 at Chase Center as the Warriors look to close the series out and advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

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LeBron James says he is unsure if he will continue his NBA career next season after the Los Angeles Lakers were knocked out of the first round of the play-offs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 40-year-old, in his 22nd season as a professional, was unable to prevent the Timberwolves completing a 4-1 series victory with a 103-96 win in game five at the Crypto.com Arena.

James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, had been hoping to win a fifth championship this season.

James, who signed a two-year deal with the Lakers in 2024, says he will take time in the off-season to consider his future.

Asked how many more years he will continue to play, James said: "I don't know.

"It's something that I will sit down with my family, my wife, and my support group and kind of just talk through and see what happens, and just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play."

After a 74-game campaign, James said the opportunity to play alongside Bronny - becoming the first father-son duo in NBA history - was the highlight of his season.

"Number one, for sure," said James.

"That's not even close. To be able to play the game that I love and to be able to be alongside my son, this whole year has been one of the most gratifying, satisfying journeys I've ever been on."

Rudy Gobert registered 27 points and 24 rebounds for the Timberwolves.

"It feels great," he said. "We had a season with ups and downs so to come here and play the way we did means a lot.

"We just have a bunch of guys that want to win, and a lot of guys who have been through adversity throughout their career and their life, and we love each other.

"All the things we went through throughout the season prepared us for this moment."

Rockets cut Warriors lead

The Timberwolves will face the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semi-finals.

The Rockets kept their play-off hopes alive with a 131-116 win against the Warriors in game five, cutting their series deficit to 3-2.

Fred VanVleet scored 26 points for the Rockets, while Amen Thompson added 25 and Dillon Brooks 24 at Toyota Center.

The Rockets led by 31 points at one stage, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr substituted many of his starters in the third quarter in order to keep them fresh for game six.

"We can't come out with that lack of defensive focus and energy and expect to beat a great team on their home floor," said Kerr.

"They took it to us - they were awesome tonight."

Game six takes place at 02:00 BST on Saturday at Chase Center in San Francisco.