Denver prevents La La Land series

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers were there waiting. Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers were right on the doorstep.

One more win would have set up a Western Conference finals showdown between the Los Angeles teams, the top two seeds who share residence at Staples Center. It would have been the most eagerly awaited series at Disney World, turning Lake Buena Vista into LA-ke Buena Vista.

The Denver Nuggets ruined those plans with a resounding rout in Game 7 that may have taken the air out of the bubble for some, but the Lakers say it meant nothing to them.

“We knew it was going to be a good game but our focus isn’t on the Clippers or the battle of L.A., but more so what can we do to finish our season strong,” Davis said.

They can do it by beating the Nuggets to get to the NBA Finals for the first time since the Lakers won their last championship a decade ago.

The series starts Friday, with the Lakers coming off another long rest and the Nuggets facing another quick turnaround after making NBA history by erasing a 3-1 deficit for the second time in this postseason.

“Obviously, I think the Lakers are probably the most-rested team in the bubble,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “They’re taking care of business, so give them credit in that regard, but our guys seem to be pretty locked in to our next challenge coming up.”

The Nuggets also went seven games against Utah in the first round. Malone said the biggest question in this series was whether his team was satisfied with making the conference finals for only the second time in franchise history or if it was still driven to go further.

There’s no such question with the Lakers, built to win now with All-NBA firstteam selections James and Davis playing together. Both averaged better than 25 points and 10 rebounds against the Rockets in the second round.

The Lakers dropped Game 1 against both Portland and the Rockets, then followed with four straight victories. They seem to get better as the series go on, which could be trouble for a Nuggets team that has been taking five games to play their best basketball.