The Denver Nuggets are one game away from advancing to Western Conference semifinals -- or they are just one game away from being out of the 2012 NBA Playoffs all together. On Saturday night at the Staples Center, the Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers tip-off for the right to face the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Nuggets have won the last two games, one away and one home. In the former, the Nuggets held off a Kobe Bryant 43-point assault. In the latter, the Nuggets came out blazing with a 13-0 run to start the game and contained a sick Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers, though, will receive reinforcement for this game with the return of Metta World Peace. His seven-game suspension for elbowing has ended, giving much soothing comfort to Kobe Bryant. Will Andrew Bynum finally have that close-out game he talked about earlier in the series?
Watch out for Kenneth Faried, who played at full intensity in Game 6. George Karl will certainly turn to him for that kind of play once again.
Game time/date: 8:30 p.m. MT, Saturday, May 12, 2012
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
TV: TNT
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage, head over to Nuggets blog Denver Stiffs. And for updates from around the league, check out SB Nation's NBA news hub.