By John Nadel
The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Too much experience, too much Kobe, too much Shaq. The three-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers are moving on in the playoffs, and the Minnesota Timberwolves are going home after the first round - again.

Kobe Bryant scored 14 of his 31 points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, and Shaquille O'Neal had 24 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists Thursday night as the Lakers beat the Timberwolves 101-85.

"Shaq was dominant in the first half and in the second half, Kobe was the dominant factor," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "I told the team Minnesota tested them and we have to improve."

By winning the best-of-seven series 4-2, the Lakers advanced to meet the San Antonio Spurs in the second round beginning Monday night.

"Our next series is going to be very difficult and we know it," Jackson said.

The Lakers eliminated the Spurs from the playoffs each of the last two years, winning eight of nine games. But San Antonio swept Los Angeles 4-0 this season en route to earning homecourt advantage throughout these playoffs.

The Lakers have won 13 straight playoff series under Jackson, and Jackson-coached teams have won an NBA record 25 consecutive series.

The Timberwolves have never advanced in the playoffs, being eliminated in the first round seven straight years after failing to qualify in their first seven seasons of existence.

"We put them away," O'Neal said. "Phil's motivation does very well for us, so we wanted to come out and play hard and focused."

The Timberwolves seemed in excellent shape when they held a 2-1 series lead and a 74-63 advantage late in the third quarter of Game 4. But the Lakers rallied for a 102-97 victory, prompting Timberwolves star Kevin Garnett to say afterward: "We had them on the ropes, and they know it."

The Lakers then overpowered the Timberwolves 120-90 in Game 5 and finished the job at home.

"Our defense is what stepped up in the last two games," Jackson said.

The supporting cast did its part, too. Derek Fisher scored 16 points, Devean George added 12 points and eight rebounds and Robert Horry had 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

"It was their role players that beat us," Minnesota's Kendall Gill said. "We had no idea Derek Fisher was going to show up the way he did. Brian Shaw, Devean George, Robert Horry the last two games.

"They can't complain about their role players."

Garnett had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Troy Hudson also had 18 points for the Timberwolves. But Hudson scored only four after the first quarter. Wally Szczerbiak added 14 points for Minnesota.

Bryant outscored the Timberwolves 10-2 by himself to start the final period, shooting 5-of-5, and George added four points to make it 83-65 with 8:19 remaining.

As the Staples Center crowd roared, the Timberwolves took a timeout and quietly returned to their bench, knowing it was over.

When the teams returned to the court, the fans chanted, "MVP, MVP, MVP" at Bryant.

"I made a conscious decision to be more aggressive," Bryant said about the fourth period. "We didn't close out the third quarter very well. I felt like we had to re-establish the momentum."

Another basket by Bryant and two free throws by O'Neal made it 87-65 with 7:04 to play. The only suspense after that was whether O'Neal would get a triple-double, which he didn't.

"I think we tested them a little bit," Garnett said. "They took it to another level."

Three-point shots by Bryant and Fisher capped an 18-4 run to finish the second quarter and start the third, giving the Lakers a 57-45 lead.

The Timberwolves drew within eight before Horry made two baskets and Bryant hit a 3-pointer to key a 10-2 spurt, making it 67-50.

But the Timberwolves refused to fold, outscoring the Lakers 13-2 to finish the third quarter to draw within six points.

That's when Bryant took over.

"Kobe was phenomenal," Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said of Bryant's fourth-quarter effort. "We doubled him and couldn't keep him from scoring. That took the wind out of our sails and we had trouble scoring.

"As I said all along, the Lakers are the team to beat and I don't think that's going to change."

The Lakers led 47-43 at halftime, holding Minnesota to 13 points in the second quarter when the Timberwolves shot 5-of-15.

O'Neal scored nine points in the first 21/2 minutes, making four shots without a miss and adding a free throw.

The Timberwolves outscored the Lakers 15-4 to finish the first quarter for a 30-25 lead. Hudson scored seven points in the final 371/2 seconds, giving him 14 in the period.