San Antonio Spurs @ Los Angeles Clippers
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET

It will be the Clippers getting the day started in Los Angeles, where they will have to find a way to avoid a third straight double-digit defeat at the hands of the top-seeded Spurs. San Antonio took the first two games in this series by a combined 33 points, and if Blake Griffin and company can’t find a way to defend the paint in a hurry they are going to have no chance at climbing back in to this series regardless of where they play. The Clippers were outscored 50-18 in the paint game two, and for as big of a role as Tim Duncan and Boris Diaw played in the Spurs’ success down low, Tony Parker and the San Antonio guards were finding lanes to the rim all game. As much as he denies it, Chris Paul is undoubtedly hurting from a sore hip and groin, something that head coach Vinny Del Negro has been quick to point out. Without Paul at full strength the Clippers have even less of a chance in this series, which is beginning to look like it could be another San Antonio betting sites sweep.

NBA Betting Pick: San Antonio Spurs

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Los Angeles Lakers
Saturday, 10:30 PM ET

Considering how good the Lakers had played until the final three minutes of their game two loss to Oklahoma City, there is nobody in Los Angeles that doesn’t believe this team can come back. There is an old saying that nothing has changed in a series until a team loses at home, and while the Clippers may lack the ammunition to respond to San Antonio at home, Kobe Bryant and company proved in game two that they can hang with the Thunder stars. The Lakers will play the next three games in this series at home where they will look for maximum results, and if Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Bryant can remain on the same page and continue to communicate, they will undoubtedly be able to finish in game three what they started in game two. Despite their considerable talent, the Thunder are still a very young team and could become vulnerable if they are faced with an early deficit on the road in a hostile environment as the best sportsbook favorites.

NBA Betting Pick: Los Angeles Lakers

The Heat were already considered the sports betting favorites at + 160 when the playoffs got underway, so it only makes sense that they get a significant boost when their toughest competition in the conference is eliminated. Next in line for Miami is an Indiana Pacers’ team that knocked off the Orlando Magic in the first round, another team that was without its biggest superstar in Dwight Howard. The Pacers are an astronomical +2500 to win an NBA championship, a testament to how difficult it is to put stock in to the teams that capitalized on opponents that were without their best player. Philadelphia’s win over Chicago pushed them from + 20,000 to + 5,000 but despite the substantial change they are still nowhere near being considered a legitimate contender. The Celtics are the favorites in that series at + 1,500, but that is just a minor jump from +2,000 when the playoffs started.

The outlook is much different in the Western conference, where the San Antonio Spurs are the favorites at + 250, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are also considered legitimate threats at + 400. San Antonio finished the regular season with 10 straight wins to lock up the top seed and clinch home ice advantage for the postseason, and they made good work of it in the opening round with a sweep of the Utah Jazz. Meanwhile, the Thunder had their way with Dallas in a sweep of their own, but most best sportsbook bookies will admit that they were not surprised with that result, which is why the odds for Oklahoma City were barely adjusted. The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t do themselves any favors by allowing the Denver Nuggets to push their series to seven games, and will now have to work with tired legs against a younger and fresher Thunder team at + 1,200 to win the title, while the Clippers are considered even less likely to win it all at +2500.

The bottom line right now is that although it is never easy to win an NBA championship, the Heat have certainly benefited from what happened in the opening round, and that is reflected in the title odds. The road has been paved for Miami to avenge last year’s finals’ loss by bringing home a title this season, and now it is up to them to execute.

Lakers Thunder Betting

Oklahoma City likely came into this matchup as the NBA betting favorites and they have to be even bigger favorites after a 119-90 rout of the Lakers in Game 1 in which Los Angeles looked exhausted after a seven-game series with Denver, including three games in the high altitude of the Pepsi Center, while the Thunder looked well rested after sweeping the defending champions from Dallas. Oklahoma City is going to look to push the pace as much as possible and basically play the Lakers the same way as Denver did, except the Thunder has better players.

If the Lakers are going to stop the Thunder, they’re going to need Ramon Sessions to wake up as he has declined throughout the postseason and he has to be able to offset Russell Westbrook, who had 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the opener. He doesn’t have to put up those types of numbers, but Sessions has to put some pressure on Westbrook when the Lakers have the ball and force him to use energy at that end of the court. The Lakers also need their bench to step up because you know the Thunder is going to get scoring from their second unit, although Sixth Man of the Year James Harden is a glorified starter.

Speaking of Harden, the subplot between he and the Lakers’ Metta World Peace will be a theme throughout this series, but don’t expect any revenge for World Peace’s elbow that netted him a seven-game suspension at the end of the regular season. The Thunder realize that the best form of revenge will be to thump the Lakers and they played with a lot of intensity in Game 1. They’ll carry that intensity throughout the series and the Lakers just don’t have the horses to hang with the Thunder; Harden is going to have a monster of a series and there isn’t much that the Lakers will be able to do about it. The Thunder in five games sound about right.

Betting Edge: Oklahoma City Thunder

Clippers Spurs Betting

NBA betting odds have San Antonio as a massive -2000 favorite over the Clippers at +1200, and many best sportsbook players feel that most of that edge goes to the Spurs because of coaching; Gregg Popovich was the Coach of the Year and really, he has been one of the top two or three coaches in the league over the last 15 years. The Clippers counter with Vinny Del Negro, who has earned deserved criticism for many moves, but his decision to bench his starters and go with the subs was the main reason why the Clippers won a tough Game 7 in Memphis to wrap up the first round. There were a lot of folks ready to pounce on Del Negro, but he made a gutsy move and stuck with it.

Del Negro will have to make more moves like that if the Clippers are going to hang with the Spurs, who made short work of Utah in a sweep that was never in doubt. Many thought the Spurs would be one of the teams that suffered most in the shortened season because of their age, but Popovich did an excellent job of pacing his stars, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, and he also threw younger players like rookie Kawhi Leonard into the fire so they would be ready for this time of year. While the team still takes on Duncan’s personality, the straw that stirs the drink is Parker, who earned some MVP consideration for his play.

The matchup between Parker and Los Angeles’ Chris Paul is going to be fun to watch if you’re a point-guard aficionado; for all of the credit Parker got this year, Paul got a little more and is regarded as the best pure point in the league by many experts, so Parker has motivation to show that he belongs up there with Paul; yes, a three-time champion and former Finals MVP has something left to prove.

Watching Duncan against Blake Griffin in the post will be another matchup to watch, although the Spurs will likely run a number of defenders at Griffin so they can save Duncan’s legs for late in the game. Duncan has never been the most athletic player in the league and is even less now, while Griffin relies solely on his athleticism.

The Spurs won two of three against the Clippers during the regular season, with all three going over the posted total, but the game will slow down in the playoffs and we have more faith in the Spurs’ experience, which is why they should be your online betting pick in five games.

Betting Edge: San Antonio Spurs

and Kobe will score 27 or less.

OKC wins by 5

Kobe scores 31 on 30 shots

No, Lakers are going to win it all

Never doubt the Black Mamba

no bad bet, kobe is going for 30.

good bet but okc will win by 5 or less and kobe will have 28

Yes, that’s a good bet OKC will completely dominate the lakers.

The thunder should win by ten today and Kobe isn’t going to have a good game he is going to rely on Pau and Bynum.

U made the correct choice,but lakers would probably lose by 12, if they get lucky . Of course thunder are gonna win either ways. Kobe will not score as much since james harden & russell westbrook R gonna be on him & westbrook is beast at defense.

DRIZZY!!!

var ua = jQuery.browser; if (!( ua.msie && (ua.version.slice(0,1) == “7″ || ua.version.slice(0,1) == “8″))) { window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({}); FB.Event.subscribe(edge.create, function(response) { DW.levt(ria, log, {siteid: 175, mapp: social_share_bar, comptyp: app, comp: main, riaevent: click, objtyp: button, objnm: facebook_share}); }); }; (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1″; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, script, facebook-jssdk)); } else{ document.getEl No Big Three meant one big problem for Miami, and one very big win for Indiana.

David West scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, George Hill added 15 and the Indiana Pacers took home-court advantage away from Miami by beating the Heat 78-75 in Game 2 of the teams Eastern Conference semifinal series Tuesday night.

More on Pacers-Heat Related links NBA Expert Picks: Conference Semifinals Playoff schedule Team updates: Pacers | Heat Video LeBron bricks free throws late James, Granger get testy Wade called for flagrant foul on Collison More NBA coverage Latest news | On Twitter | Subscribe to newsletter

LeBron James scored 28 points for Miami and Dwyane Wade finished with 24, but both missed big chances for the Heat late. James missed two free throws with 54.3 seconds left and Miami down one, and Wade was short on a layup that would have tied the game with 16 seconds remaining.

Mario Chalmers 3-pointer to tie bounced away on the final play, and the series was tied 1-1.

Danny Granger scored 11 points and Paul George added 10 for Indiana, which took advantage of Heat forward Chris Boshs absence and outrebounded Miami 50-40.

Game 3 is Thursday in Indianapolis.

James had a chance to give Miami the lead with 1:22 left, but his shot was blocked from behind by George, who was fouled two seconds later. He missed both free throws, keeping the Indiana lead at 76-75. And after battling for the rebound with 54.3 seconds remaining.

James couldnt connect on either, and the Heat didnt score again.

Bosh is expected to miss the rest of the series with a strained abdominal muscle. W and no other Miami player scored more than allowed Indiana to lead by as much as 11, before the emotions picked up considerably in the fourth.

Wade was steaming when he missed a shot after trying to create contact with Indianas Dahntay Jones with 9:53 left. As Wade argued, Jones went the other way and set Leandro Barbosa up for a score that put the Pacers up 63-56.

Chalmers turned the ball over on the next possession, and as the Pacers took off for what set up as a 2-on-none break, Wade caught Darren Collison from behind and knocked him over. A flagrant-1 was called, Collison hit both free throws, the Indiana lead was nine and tensions were suddenly high.

It all seemed to spark Miami. </ who got hit in the head by Granger with 7:25 left, sparking a bit of shoving th added a putback off an offensive rebound and Wade did the same about a minute later, getting Miami within 69-66 with 5:57 left.

James missed a free throw that would have tied it with 4:30 remaining, but after George got the rebound, James dove in to create a jump ball situation. The MVP easily won the tap, sending it to Wade, whose bank shot over West put Miami back on top 72-71.

Barbosa scored on the next Indiana possession. The Pacers werent rattled, and left celebrating minutes later.

Indiana scored 16 points in the first seven minutes of the first half, then scored 17 in the next 17 minutes. And even after a drought like that, Miamis lead was only 38-33 at the break.

George missed four shots in a 60-second span early on, setting the tone for an icy-cold half by the Pacers. Indiana was up 16-9 midway through the first when the Heat went to a smaller lineup that paid q a layup by Wade, then James firing a pass to Turiaf for a dunk, follow erased most of the early deficit, and defense did the rest. Indiana missed 24 of 29 shots in one stretch, and after Hibbert used his size advantage to get three shots in the first 1:11, he only got two attempts over the rest of the half.

Miami was 0-for-7 on shots that would have pushed its margin to double digits in the first half, continuing a trend from Game 1. Neither team ever led the series opener by more than nine either, and when George made a 3-pointer with 6:09 left in the third, the Pacers had pulled into a 46-all tie. A steal and dunk by George followed on the next possession, putting the Pacers back on top.

Before long, the Pacers had that first 10-point edge of the series. Collisons jumper with 1:29 left in the third put Indiana up 59-49, and the margin was 61-52 entering the fourth.

For as bad as Indianas first half was offens the Heat were outscored 28-14 on 3-for-17 shooting in the period, the third-worst shooting effort by the reigning East champs in any quarter this season.

Notes

James six steals were a Heat playoff record. … Trying to exploit the size advantage with Bosh out, the Pacers gave Hibbert three shots in the first 1:11 of the game. He got three the rest of the game. … Wade is now 39-11 in home playoff games. … James will play his 100th playoff game Thursday.

Eastern Conference Semifinals: Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat – Series Prediction

Sports betting experts are not going to change their minds about the Indiana Pacers-Miami Heat series after what they saw on Sunday in Game 1. The biggest key in this series, going in, figured to be Indianas ability to find a reliable second scorer behind team leader Danny Granger. There is zero doubt that Granger is the Pacers main meal ticket, but much as Miami took away New York star Carmelo Anthony in the first round, given that the Knicks lacked depth and balance due to a number of injuries, it was highly likely that the Heat would be able to contain Granger. Theyre going to focus on denying him the ball and limiting his opportunities, which means that Indiana coach Frank Vogel needs a second man – probably forward Paul George – to answer the call. In game one, neither Granger nor George performed well. It was the big man tandem of Roy Hibbert and David West that did the most damage for Indiana against Miamis small frontline. The question – Is George mentally ready to shoulder a big workload against the Heat? – was strongly answered in the negative.

Yes, the Pacers are a hard-working and overachieving team. They made the Chicago Bulls work in the first round of last years playoffs, and by winning over 40 games in this compressed 66-game regular season, the Pacers clearly surpassed expectations. Most basketball pundits think that their road will end here, however. Miami, even without forward Chris Bosh – injured in Game 1 on Sunday – has the two best players on the floor in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Indiana doesnt have the experience or the shotmaking ability to stay with Miami. Its that simple.

NBA Basketball Betting Pick: Miami in 5 games

Eastern Conference Semifinals: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics – Series Prediction

When you take a quick look at this series to make a play on any of several sports betting sites in the country, you can try to convince yourself that the Philadelphia 76ers have a real shot at taking down the Boston Celtics. However, you will likely fail. In Game 1 on Saturday night, the Sixers should have led by at least 13 to 15 points by halftime, yet led by only five. Boston is not as quick as the younger Philadelphia squad, but it is superior in every other respect. The Celtics are smarter, more powerful, and know how to perform in the clutch. They have the better point guard, Rajon Rondo, and play better halfcourt defense under the guidance of head coach Doc Rivers, who is a better bench boss than Sixer head coach Doug Collins. This is Bostons series to lose; Game 1 affirmed as much.
Click here for more on the latest best sportsbook odds.

NBA Basketball Betting Pick: Boston in 5 games

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var ua = jQuery.browser; if (!( ua.msie && (ua.version.slice(0,1) == “7″ || ua.version.slice(0,1) == “8″))) { window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({}); FB.Event.subscribe(edge.create, function(response) { DW.levt(ria, log, {siteid: 175, mapp: social_share_bar, comptyp: app, comp: main, riaevent: click, objtyp: button, objnm: facebook_share}); }); }; (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1″; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, script, facebook-jssdk)); } else{ document.getElementById The Los Angeles Clippers refused to let a third chance to knock the Memphis Grizzlies out of the playoffs slip away.

Kenyon Martin scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, and the Clippers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with an 82-72 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 7 on Sunday.

“Thats why its seven games,” Martin said. “If you dont do it before, you get another chance. So they did what they had to do, they came and stole home court back on our floor. … We had a chance to close it out. We knew we let it go, an opportunity get away.”

The Clippers blew an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter Friday night. So Martin huddled the Clippers together at the start of the fourth quarter Sunday, and the veteran led the bench in outscoring the Grizzlies 25-16. Chris Paul had the only bucket by a starter in the final 12 minutes, and the Clippers bench outscored the Memphis reserves 41-11 overall.

“Our bench was our MVP,” Clippers guard Randy Foye said. “They realized what they had to do. We had a lot of guys hurt, so we just continued to grind.”

More on Clippers-Grizzlies Column Gary Parrish
Clippers ditch adversity, advance; Grizz wonder what might have been Related links Moore: Grizz fail to grind out decisive win Moore: Where does Memphis go from here? Expert Picks: Western Conference semis More NBA coverage Latest news | On Twitter | Subscribe to newsletter

Now, the Clippers have their third postseason series win in 41 years and their second since relocating to Los Angeles. They last beat Denver in 2006. The Clippers also avoided becoming the ninth NBA team to blow a 3-1 lead in a best-of-7 series in moving on to play the top-seeded Spurs starting Tuesday night in San Antonio.

“I want the guys to enjoy this, and then well regroup tomorrow and focus in on that,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. “But obviously another big challenge for us.”

Paul scored 19 points despite playing with a strained right hip flexor. Nick Young had nine of his 13 off the bench in the fourth as the Clippers finished off the series with their biggest margin of victory. Paul was so confident of victory he bought plane tickets for his wife and son to San Antonio on Saturday.

“I felt like we should have won earlier,” Paul said. “But it doesnt matter. As long as you win, I think it is a step in the right direction for our franchise.

Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol each had 19 for Memphis, which lost a Game 7 at Oklahoma City a year ago in the second round of the playoffs. Zach Randolph had a game-high 12 rebounds.

“Unfortunately, no one on the bench stepped up and helped us,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said.

The Clippers, who trailed 56-55 after three quarters, took control by opening the fourth with an 11-2 run started by a jumper by Martin. He tipped in a shot for a 66-58 lead with 8:41 left. Mo Williams matched the Clippers biggest lead to that point at 10 with a 3-pointer pushing it to 71-61 with 7:04 left in a 16-5 spurt to open the quarter.

“They hit shots in a hurry,” Gay said of the Clippers. “They made plays off our turnovers, and they just converted, something we werent doing at that time.”

Los Angeles finished off the win by hitting 9 of 10 free throws in the final 3:26. The Clippers also managed to outrebound the Grizzlies 46-44 for only the second time this series.

Memphis got away from the inside-out approach that won the last two games. The Grizzlies outscored the Clippers 36-24, but Randolph said they took far too many jumpers instead of feeding the ball to Gasol and himself.

“You have to take your hats off to them because they played good,” Randolph said of the Clippers. Chris had a good game, and their bench played terrific.”

The home-court advantage that didnt help the Grizzlies when they blew a 27-point lead in Game 1 didnt help again Sunday as they went cold from the floor. Gasols one-handed dunk with 3:09 left was Memphis last field goal down the stretch as the Grizzlies hit only 4 of 18 in the fourth quarter and finished the game missing all 13 3-pointers.

This series has been physical and grinding from the opening tip, and neither team backed down in a winner-take-all game.

The Clippers and Grizzlies scrapped and fought for every ball with each possession feeling like a knockdown, drag-out fight. Memphis should have had an advantage against the hobbled Clippers tipping off when they usually eat breakfast on the West Coast. Blake Griffin scored only eight points and looked tentative most of the game with a sprained left knee.

Del Negro said Griffins knee tightened up on him as the game went on, and Griffin played only 1:39 of the fourth quarter. Not that it mattered the way the Clippers bench came through.

The Grizzlies even brought out wrestler Jerry Lawler to help stoke up the sold-out crowd, but both teams showed the fatigue of a quick turnaround from Game 6 on Friday night in Los Angeles. The Clippers missed nine of their first 10 shots, while the Grizzlies missed seven of nine.

“It was Game 7 pressure and jitters,” Hollins said. “We wanted to do well. We just wanted to let it rip. You walk up here and have two strikes on you in the ninth inning and you have to let it rip. And we didnt.”

The Clippers shook off the exhaustion thanks to their bench.

The Grizzlies managed to pull within 39-38 at halftime even though they kept struggling to find the basket. Mike Conley missed his first seven shots with his drought stretching to the free throw line where he missed his first attempt. Conley didnt hit his first bucket until a jumper in the early seconds of the third quarter. Conley finished with seven points on 2 of 13 shooting.

Notes

Del Negro now is 1-1 in Game 7s, losing his first in the 2009 first-round while coaching Chicago against Boston. Hollins now is 0-2 in Game 7s. Griffin finished playing 28 minutes and was 3 of 11 from the floor. He had four rebounds. The Grizzlies shot 32.5 percent (25 of 77) from the floor, their worst percentage of the series.

var ua = jQuery.browser; if (!( ua.msie && (ua.version.slice(0,1) == “7″ || ua.version.slice(0,1) == “8″))) { window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({}); FB.Event.subscribe(edge.create, function(response) { DW.levt(ria, log, {siteid: 175, mapp: social_share_bar, comptyp: app, comp: main, riaevent: click, objtyp: button, objnm: facebook_share}); }); }; (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1″; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, script, facebook-jssdk)); } else{ document.getEl LeBron James was promised some rest. It never came.

The MVP didnt care, not after he and the Miami Heat struck the first blow against the Indiana Pacers.

More on Pacers-Heat Analysis Royce Young
Pacers miss out on major opportunity vs. Heat in Game 1 Related links Bosh exits early with abdominal injury Moore: Heat close out Pacers in a whirlwind Expert Picks: Western Conference semis More NBA coverage Latest news | On Twitter | Subscribe to newsletter

James accepted his third MVP trophy from Commissioner David Stern before the game, then scored 26 of his game-high 32 poi as the Heat survived some rough stretches to beat the Pacers 95-86 on Sunday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

“I just looked at him straight in the eyes and said, `You can flat-out not get tired, period,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And he made MVP plays on both ends of the court.”

Dwyane Wade scored 29 points for the Heat, who won the game but lost Chris Bosh for the second half and possibly longer. Bosh scored 13 points before leaving late in the first half with a lower abdominal strain, with the team saying he was being scheduled for an MRI exam to determine the severity.

“Hopefully [Monday] we get good news,” Wade said. “We all just want to make sure Chris is healthy. So thats all we know right now. Our brother is going to go [Monday] to see if he can get back out there and play with us. If not, then weve got to have someone step up very big. You cant fill Chris Boshs shoes, but you can have a few guys step up. So well see.”

David West and Roy Hibbert each scored 17 points and combined for 23 rebounds for the Pacers, who got 10 points each from Darren Collison and George Hill. Indiana controlled long stretches of the first half and didnt trail by more than two points at any time until the fourth quarter, when it was outscored 25-16.

Indiana shot 50 percent in the first half, 30 percent in the second.

“We started to get defensive stops,” James said. “We started getting things rolling.”

Game 2 is Tuesday in Miami.

“Were not just here to play. Were here to win,” Hibbert said. “We need to win Game 2 and come back strong.”

Playing one star down, James and Wade raised their games accordingly after halftime. They combined for 42 points in the third and fourth quarters, four more than the entire Indiana roster. The Pacers scored 16 in the fourth, and James had that many alone.

“We definitely let this one get away,” Indianas Paul George said. “It seemed like we werent supposed to win this one. Everybody in this room knew we had this game.”

Everything was undecided until the final moments. Hill made a 3-pointer with 4:51 left, getting Indiana within 86-85. But the Pacers missed their final nine shots of the game, James had a dunk in transition to make it 90-85 with 4:10 left, and his jumper with 31.8 seconds remaining wrapped up the Heat win.

“Its a battle and we know, regardless of being at home, being away, who were playing, what round, its tough to win in the playoffs and you have to fight for every single possession,” Spoelstra said. “And thats what it was.”

From his seat a few rows above the court, it was like Stern knew what was coming long before it happened.

Stern was on hand to present James with his MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony. Later, in a televised in-game interview, Stern told ABC that James is just “warming up” with three MVPs, a total that only seven other players have reached.

“Hes a great player,” Stern said. “He is so strong and so athletic and so determined when he decides to take over a game, hes extraordinary to watch.”

Before Sunday, the last time someone had as many as 32 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and two steals in a playoff game was Vince Carter in May 2006, according to STATS LLC. Plus, James played a big role in someth Danny Granger shot 1 for 10 for Indiana, scoring only seven points.

“I dont know if hes going to have a huge offensive series,” Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. “When you have to guard the MVP for 38 minutes, it takes a lot out of your offensive game.”

Wade shot only 8 for 23 from the field, and the Heat mi a first in team playoff history. But the Heat held a 45-38 rebounding edge, and allowed Indiana to make only 11 of 37 shots after halftime.

“Definitely not our best game,” Vogel said. “We didnt shoot it very well. … It came down to execution in the fourth quarter and youve got to give credit to Miamis defense.”

In the pregame MVP ceremony, James told fans how “electricity” was going to be important throughout the and it wasnt Miami.

The Pacers trailed for only 56 seconds in the first half, never down by more than a basket. Indiana opened the game with an 11-4 run, held Miami to 37 percent shooting in the first two quarters, and rode the strength of a 19-6 edge in bench surviving some foul trouble as well.

Of the 10 players Vogel used in the first half, seven had at least two fouls, and Hill had three.

But by then, Miami had a bigger problem to address, that being Boshs injury. He got hurt with 1:06 left in the half on a dunk while getting fouled by Hibbert. Bosh remained down for a few moments, then got up slowly and made his free throw.

While going back down to the defensive end, Bosh started limping and grabbing at his midsection. He eventually fell to his knees in pain, and was replaced by Ronny Turiaf with 43.6 seconds left. Bosh was grimacing as he headed to the Heat locker room for evaluation, as his wife covered an anguished look on her face while watching from courtside.

“Its unfortunate Chris went down,” Wade said. “But we told him, `Be healthy. We got `em.”

Notes

Wade is appearing in his 18th playoff series with Miami, one more than Alonzo Mourning for the most in Heat franchise history. The fans in Miami booed when and not assessed to Hibbert. Had the foul been on Hibbert, it would have been his sixth personal. George fouled out about two minutes later. It was Miamis 13th straight postseason win at home against East opponents.

var ua = jQuery.browser; if (!( ua.msie && (ua.version.slice(0,1) == “7″ || ua.version.slice(0,1) == “8″))) { window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({}); FB.Event.subscribe(edge.create, function(response) { DW.levt(ria, log, {siteid: 175, mapp: social_share_bar, comptyp: app, comp: main, riaevent: click, objtyp: button, objnm: facebook_share}); }); }; (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1″; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, script, facebook-jssdk)); } else{ document.getElementB Pau Gasol was consumed by determination, holding off Kenneth Faried with one arm and relentlessly tipping the ball at the hoop with the other in th offensive rebounds later, the ball finally surrendered and dropped through the hoop.

A few minutes later, the truth was as undeniable as that 7-foot Spaniard. Although the Nuggets drove them to the brink of playoff collapse, the Los Angeles Lakers still have the tenacity to win on the biggest nights of the postseason.

Even when Kobe Bryant doesnt lead them.

Gasol had 23 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots, Metta World Peace scored 15 points in his return from a seven-game suspension, and the Lakers outlasted Denver for a thrilling 96-87 victory Saturday night to win their first-round series.

Steve Blake scored a playoff career-high 19 points and Bryant had a quiet 17 points and eight assists against regular double-teams for the Lakers, who blew a 16-point lead in the second half before surviving a finale with wild momentum swings and furious physical play.

<p exemplified by those five offensive rebounds the Lakers narrowly avoided becoming the ninth team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 series lead.

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“We were aggressive,” Gasol said. “We attacked the paint better. We pounded the boards as hard as we could, every single time. … Our backs against the wall also had something to do with it.”

Andrew Bynum had 16 points, a career playoff-high 18 rebounds and six blocked shots for Los Angeles, which must open the second round Monday night in Oklahoma City against the second-seeded Thunder.

Ty Lawson and Al Harrington scored 24 points apiece for the sixth-seeded Nuggets, who committed 19 turnovers and managed just 7-of-27 shooting in the fourth quarter. Arron Afflalo scored 15 points in just the third Game 7 in franchise history for the Nuggets, who have lost in the first round in eight of the last nine postseasons – but never with this much excitement.

“Tomorrow or the next day, when the funk gets out of your body, youre going to be proud of them,” Denver coach George Karl said. “Ive never been in a locker room at the end of a season where every guy in front of me, Im happy with and Im content with. … The game was so physical. I think their size won over our speed. We gave a great effort. We made them miss enough shots to win, but we just didnt rebound the ball.”

The Lakers appeared to be in control of the series after a narrow victory in Game 4 last weekend, but the Nuggets rallied for two straight dominant victories. Game 7 was a barn-burner, with both teams blowing significant leads in the final minutes as this stark clash of styles between the physical Lakers and the speedy Nuggets was resolved in the very last minutes.

“Its tough,” Lawson said. “We played together, and played as a team. Just the way it went down is kind of tough for us. We fought hard and showed a lot of energy. Next year, were going to be even better.”

World Peace hit four 3-pointers and energized Los Angeles with tough defense in his return. The former Ron Artest missed Los Angeles regular-season finale and the first six games against Denver for viciously elbowing Oklahoma Citys James Harden, the NBAs Sixth Man of the Year and one of his probable defensive assignments in the next round.

World Peace doesnt plan to seek out Harden to make peace before the opener, saying he rarely talks to even his friends on opposing teams before games.

“I dont shake substitutions hands,” World Peace said.

Although he also launched 11 3-pointers, hitting four, World Peace used that attitude to help shut down Danilo Gallinari and Andre Miller, holding them to a combined 2-for-19 shooting.

“He made plays tonight that wont show up in the stat sheet that were absolutely amazing for us defensively,” said Mike Brown, who shrugged off Magic Johnsons pregame pronouncement that the first-year coachs job would be in jeopardy with a loss. “Just his presence alone helped us out, and thats what we missed the first six games. … He was monstrous for us tonight.”

With Gasol and World Peace taking the lead, Bryant didnt dominate with scoring, but his playmaking out of double-teams helped Blake hit five 3-pointers in a row before missing his sixth attempt. The journeyman guard is backing up Ramon Sessions, who managed just four points in the finale of his first career playoff series.

One possession after his five-rebound masterpiece, Gasol put the Lakers ahead for good with a tiebreaking tip-in with 6:30 to play, kicking off an 11-2 Lakers run. Afflalos 3-pointer cut the lead to 89-84 with 1:09 to play, but Bryant hit a dramatic 3-pointer before Gasol hit two free throws with 31 seconds left, punctuating them with a sweeping punch of his fist.

The Lakers improved to 15-1 in a Game 7 at home, winning 11 straight since the 1969 NBA Finals. Theyve won three straight Game 7s since losing a first-rounder at Phoenix in 2006, also the last time an NBA team blew a 3-1 series lead.

The Lakers narrowly avoided becoming the ninth team to waste a 3-1 lead after losing two closeout games in the previous four days. Los Angeles had been 12-1 in closeout games since acquiring Gasol in 2008 before stumbling twice against the Nuggets, who led for almost every possession of the past two contests.

Gasols focus was obvious from the opening tip. The four-time All-Star had just three points and three rebounds in Game 6, but he played the finale with emotion and aggression, hustling for loose balls and rebounds while demonstratively celebrating baskets and playing to the crowd.

The Nuggets fell behind 62-46 midway through the third quarter, but erased the entire Lakers lead in a furious 6½-minute stretch led by Lawson, who scored 13 points in the period. Denver took a lead on the first shot of the fourth, but the Lakers never trailed after Blakes 3-pointer with 9:03 left.

Notes

Bryant is 5-1 in Game 7s in his career. The Lakers played at home on a Saturday night for the first time all season. Their other two Saturday home dates were matinees. Fans near courtside included Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Barry Diller and Diane Von Furstenberg, Julie Bowen, Zac Efron and rapper The Game.