The Los Angeles Lakers are just one win away from the NBA Finals after sending the San Antonio Spurs to their first home loss of the playoffs. Kobe Bryant collected 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who never trailed once last night and kept it up for a 93-91 victory. Brent Barry missed a contested 3-pointer for the Spurs as time expired. The Lakers have a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals and can advance to the NBA Finals against Boston or Detroit with a home win against the defending champion in Game 5 tomorrow. Tim Duncan had 29 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Spurs, while Tony Parker and Barry took 23 points each. Manu Ginobili, after scoring 30 points in San Antonio’s Game 3 win, was held to 7 points on 2-of-8 shooting.The Lakers have a 7-0 record at the Staples Center during the postseason and hasn’t lost at home in two months.

The Celtics host the Pistons tonight in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. The teams are tied at two games apiece.  Boston is 9-1 at home and 1-7 on the road in this year’s playoffs. Boston has survived two big close calls in the first round and semifinals. They knocked out the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in seven games in the quarterfinals and hung on to defeat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in an even closer seven-game series. There’s a lot of playoff history between these two teams. Boston defeated the Pistons in the 1968, 1985 and 2002 semis, and also knocked out Detroit in seven games in the 1987 East finals.

The Los Angeles Lakers can go to sleep tonight knowing they’re the best team in the Western Conference.
Pau Gasol scored 22 points and Kobe Bryant had 20 - before both sat out the fourth quarter - as the Lakers destroyed the Sacramento Kings 124-101 on Tuesday night to clinch the top spot in the Western Conference.

“The Western Conference has been brutal all season, so it’s pretty special to have the best record,” said Bryant “It’s an amazing accomplishment for us.”

Gasol, who came over to the Lakers from Memphis in February, was thrilled to be a major factor in clinching their first conference banner since the 1999-2000 NBA championship season. 

“It feels good, we worked hard for it and we earned it,” said Gasol, who hit nine-of-11 floor shots and grabbed seven rebounds. “I’m ready to get this thing going and to face another real challenge. Now the real fun starts.”

Though the Lakers have home-court advantage through the first three rounds of the playoffs, they won’t know until Wednesday night whether they open up on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets or Dallas Mavericks.