Gasol's dominant performance was a key to the Lakers' must-win game (Creative Commons/Keith Allison).

Forward Pau Gasol returned to form and led the Lakers with a 23-point, 17-rebound performance at the STAPLES Center to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals and face the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Metta World Peace’s comeback after his seven-game suspension -- due to his elbow accidentally striking James Harden’s head -- was what the Lakers needed, as he filled the stat sheet with 15 points, 5 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Though he did not score as much as Gasol, center Andrew Bynum dropped 16 points and added 18 rebounds after each big man turned in very poor performances in Thursday’s loss in Game 6 -- 3 points and 3 rebounds for Gasol, 11 points and 16 boards for Bynum.

Denver guard Ty Lawson led the Nuggets with an inspired second-half performance, totaling 24 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists as Denver failed to advance past the first round for the third straight season.

Kobe Bryant had an atypical scoring performance, only contributed 8 assists and 17 points, including the crucial three-point shot under one minute left to seal the game.

Los Angeles began the game faster than Game 6 in which Denver started the game on a 13-0 run. The Lakers led after halftime Saturday night. But the Nuggets pulled within one after the third quarter behind a 13-point Lawson quarter, making the tight series close to the end.

But Los Angeles dominated the fourth quarter, completing an 11-2 run with 1:39 left in the game and putting it out of Denver’s reach.

The Lakers will have less than two days to prepare for regular-season scoring champion Kevin Durant, Sixth Man of the Year Harden and the Thunder, who swept the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in the first round. The Thunder played their last game May 15, giving them nine days off before commencing round two.

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