Lakers survive, but ride ends here

Oddly enough, no officiating hijinks were needed this time to help the glamour team advance. Just as odd, the fourth quarter was not all about Kobe Bryant sinking an array of circus shots.

The Los Angeles Lakers put away the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of their first-round series Saturday night, and the major storylines did not include controversy or Kobe. The better team won, fair and square.

That's not always the case in the NBA playoffs, which pro wrestling fans have mocked as a scripted farce. Without working his officials like puppets, commissioner David Stern still got what he wanted.

The Lakers advanced to meet Oklahoma City in a Western Conference semifinal series strong on star power and sure to boost TV ratings. It's also a series with a strange theme, because the odds are stacked against the underdog Lakers.

"I don't remember a situation like this since Kobe has been on the team," said Jimmy Vaccaro, director of operations for Lucky's sports books.

On the Lucky's line, Oklahoma City is a minus-440 favorite to advance. The price opened slightly higher at sharp offshore books. The script, according to oddsmakers, has the Thunder prevailing in five or six games. And it certainly appears this is the end of a bumpy road for the Lakers.

"My first inclination was a little lower, but the more I think about it, that is the right number. I can understand why it came higher," Vaccaro said of the series price, which will tempt Lakers bettors to take plus-360. "I imagine we'll see tic-tac-toe money on the Lakers. We get a bigger percentage of Lakers tickets no matter what."

In Vaccaro's dictionary, tic-tac-toe bets mean small money, and that's all the Lakers might merit in this series. On a wildly inconsistent team, Bryant is the only player who is reliable for his effort and performance.

The perception of the Lakers would be improved if they had finished off the Nuggets in five or six games. Instead, they were blown out by 17 points in Game 6 before winning 96-87 and covering as 5½-point favorites in the clincher on their home floor.

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol finally were dominant in the paint. Metta World Peace returned and resembled Ron Artest in his prime. Steve Blake made five 3-pointers. Bryant trusted his teammates and facilitated the offense while scoring only 17 points. Still, the Lakers squandered a 16-point lead and were tied with 6½ minutes to go.

While the Lakers struggled and expended energy, the Thunder players rested their legs and waited. Oklahoma City has been off since May 5, when it swept away defending champion Dallas. "I like the rested team. I don't think it hurts them one bit," Vaccaro said.

The Thunder, 7-point favorites in today's opener, will be especially hyped to settle a score from April 22, when World Peace threw a flagrant elbow to James Harden's head.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook rely too much on jump shots, but that's the only negative for Oklahoma City, a young and hungry team built to bury the Lakers in five or six games.

If Bryant pushes the series the distance, the Thunder can lean on home-court advantage. In NBA postseason history, home teams had won 80 percent of the Game 7s going into Sunday, when Memphis managed to fall into the 20 percentile.

Chris Paul helped the Los Angeles Clippers grind out an ugly 82-72 victory over the Grizzlies that pleased underdog players. The Clippers cashed as 7½-point 'dogs and plus-350 on the money line, while the total of 177 was a dead under from the start.

Expect the San Antonio Spurs to be favored in each game of a short series against the limping Clippers.

There are times when betting NBA games is nothing more than throwing darts in the dark. Occasionally, you get lucky, and if you bet the Miami Heat on Sunday, you were extremely lucky.

The Heat, leading by one with just under five minutes remaining, covered the 8½-point spread in a 95-86 victory over Indiana to open their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Bettors on the Pacers had to feel like puking.

We're headed for a Boston-Miami final in the East, and a San Antonio-Oklahoma City clash in the West.

It can be argued the Lakers' season was doomed in early December, when Stern killed their deal with New Orleans for Paul, the point guard they needed to strike down the Thunder.

■ BOTTOM LINES - Lucky's has posted regular-season propositions on baseball phenom Bryce Harper, the Washington Nationals rookie from Las Vegas. Props are up on Harper's total hits (80½), doubles (28½) and final batting average (.240).

Harper must play at least 100 major league games for action. After 14 games, he is batting .231 (12-for-52) with six doubles. ...

The golfer formerly known as Tiger Woods, 10 shots out of the lead going into Sunday's final round of The Players Championship, was at 100-1 on the LVH adjusted odds board. ...

After Findlay Prep star Anthony Bennett committed Saturday to play basketball at UNLV, the LVH lowered the Rebels' odds to win next season's national championship from 60-1 to 40-1.

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts "The Las Vegas Sportsline" weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM, 98.9 FM).