The Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals on Thursday night with a 100-92 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals.

Kobe Bryant scored a series-high 39 points, and Pau Gasol added 12 points and 19 rebounds for the Lakers, who made just 44% of their shots but turned the ball over just nine times.

San Antonio took a thirteen-point lead into the second quarter, but the Lakers answered well to trim the advantage to just eight at the half.

The Lakers then stormed out of the gate to post a 27-20 edge in the third quarter, setting themselves up for a huge final period.

Lamar Odom, who blamed himself for the team's Game Three loss, posted 13 points and 8 rebounds in the series-clinching win.

Tim Duncan was nothing less than magical for the Spurs, tallying 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the loss.

Manu Ginobili struggled, scoring just 9 points on 3-for-9 shooting with five fouls.

Tony Parker added 23 points and 4 assists, and Kurt Thomas contributed 11 points and 7 rebounds for the Spurs, who hit 48% of their shots but couldn't hang with the Lakers in the final minutes of the game.

Los Angeles outscored San Antonio 36-29 in the final twelve minutes, as the crowd at the STAPLES Center rose to its feet and cheered during the final few minutes of the game.

The Lakers will await the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals, with the Celtics leading the Pistons 3-2 in the series, which resumes on Friday night.

It will be the team's first Finals appearance since 2004, when they lost to Detroit.