But facing a do-or-die unlikely Game 7 at home as the 13-point favorites, the Lakers finally put away a resilient Houston club in money-making fashion with an 89-70 victory on Sunday. Pau Gasol was dominating on both ends of the court, making Los Angeles once again looked like the conference’s top-seeded team, scoring 21 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. Kobe Bryant finished with a modest 14 points and led his team in assists with five.

Kobe and company advance to the Western Conference final, looking to reach the NBA finals for the second straight year, as the Lakers host the series-opener against the well rested Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night at the Staples Center starting at 9:00pm EST. Los Angeles won three of four from Denver this season and the Nuggets were outrebounded by an average of 50.0 to 43.3 per game.

The Nuggets haven't done a good job in many areas the last two seasons against the Lakers. During that span, the Lakers have won 10-of-11 meetings, including a 4-0 sweep in the first round of last season's playoffs. But Denver comes in well rested against Los Angeles with significant time to have worked on new looks and make adjustments, while the Lakers exerted a ton of energy in its tussle with Houston. If you bet on NBA, possible fatigue could become a factor if this series goes deep.

The Nuggets, who are 8-2 in the playoffs after tying their franchise record with a 54-win regular season, haven't played since eliminating Dallas in a Game 5 on Wednesday May 13. Winners of 16 straight games at the Pepsi Center, where no opponent has won since March 9, if the Nuggets can steal one of two in Los Angeles to start the series they could give the Lakers all they can handle.

Winner of the series will face either Orlando or top-seeded Cleveland, who begin its Eastern Conference final on Wednesday, starting at 8:30pm EST at the Quicken Loans Arena. A Superman versus a King matchup takes betting NBA online to a whole nether level.

After opening with eight straight double-digit victories in one of the most dominant performances in NBA playoff history, the Cavaliers are rested and four wins away from a second trip to the finals in three years. But the Magic have matched up well with them and are confident after outlasting defending champion Boston in seven games.

Orlando won the season series 2-1, but the Cavaliers swept both of their postseason series and have been waiting for their next opponent since last Monday. Meanwhile, the Magic, led by Dwight Howard, ousted defending NBA champion Boston Celtics 101-82 on Sunday night on the road in Game 7. The Celtics had been undefeated in their peerless history when leading a series three games to two. But not anymore!

LeBron James will have a tough time getting to the rim with the NBA’s defensive player of the year waiting for him there. There’s a reason Orlando beat the Cavaliers two of three times in the regular season, because Howard awaits James’ drives to the basket. The Cavaliers and King James won't sweep this series, because the Magic rank well above the Pistons and Hawks.

Strap up sports betting fans, because these conference final meetings have all the makings to be the most competitive in years. Be sure to visit the BetPhoenix NBA odds for each game and series, including props and more!