The Los Angeles Lakers escaped elimination – and possibly humiliation – after being able to take down the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of their opening round playoff series. Once the Lakers surrendered their 3-1 series lead and lost only their second playoff series-clinching game at home since 1983-1984, I have to admit things looked dim. However, with the help of Metta World Peace the Lakers were able to come through and win Game 7 in convincing fashion.

Now the Lakers will head into a series where they are the underdog. Some expected them to be finished off after losing Games 5 and 6 in the first round, yet they made it to the Conference Semifinals where they will face the Oklahoma City Thunder – the West’s number one seed.

The two teams will tipoff at 6:30 PDT on May 14 for Game 1, but before that, let’s take a look at some of the keys for the Lakers.

Metta World Peace

The entire World Peace and James Harden episode should not overshadow what contributions either player will make to their respective teams. However, in order for the Lakers to try and establish some sort of advantage, Metta World Peace will need to be a part of that equation. His deliberate ignorance of the situation between himself and Harden should prove to be an advantage for World Peace. His unpredictability and intensity will only add to that advantage. Combine all of that with his defending and timely scoring and you have a nicely packaged advantage for the Lakers.

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol

Both of these players need to step up their play from the first series if the Lakers want to stand a fighting chance in Game 1. The Lakers are not faster than the Thunder, just as they were not faster than the Nuggets, but they certainly are bigger. If the Lakers can use their size to their advantage and steal away Game 1, it could set the tone for the rest of the series. (Provided that Gasol and Bynum both give 100 percent throughout.)

Lakers’ Outside Shooting

One of the ways the Thunder will try and combat the Lakers’ size will be by double teaming in the lane. This will mean that Lakers are going to have to try and find ways to improve on their outside shooting as the double-teamed player will likely be looking to pass the ball. An open shot from the perimeter should be nearly automatic when the team is forced to run their offense from the inside out.

The Lakers will most likely need to take Game 1 from the Thunder in order to upset them in the Western Conference Semifinals. Do the Lakers have what it takes to steal Game 1 from the Thunder, or will Oklahoma City prepare to take out the team that eliminated them from the 2010 NBA Playoffs?

David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where fresh content is posted daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions – all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, “Not knowing any better”. Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.

You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp

Sources:

NBA.com. Lakers and Thunder Game 1 Preview. NBA 2012

More from David Mehrwein and the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Los Angeles Lakers’ Metta World Peace Ready to Face Oklahoma City Thunder: Fan Preview

Will San Francisco 49ers’ Randy Moss Help Guide Michael Crabtree in the Right Direction? Fan Question

Is Andrew Bynum a Cancer to the Los Angeles Lakers? Quote Roundup

San Francisco 49ers’ Undrafted Free Agent Chris Owusu Ready to Prove Doubters Wrong: Fan Breakdown

Andrew Bynum Lacks Intensity as Los Angeles Lakers Fall to Denver Nuggets: Fan Reaction

Denver coach George Karl said Monday afternoon that the Nuggets can take away some positives from their playoff loss to the Lakers — but some things are still lingering.

“Even in the Game 7 loss, to fight back the way we fought back, all those things can be used in a positive way,” Karl said, speaking to the media for the first time since Game 7. “But there’s also the negative that we didn’t get the job done. That’s still lingering and hanging over our heads right now.”

Last season, Denver lost to Oklahoma City last season in five games, but this season, the Nuggets won Games 5 and 6 against the Lakers, before losing in the close Game 7 on the road.

Yes, L.A. proved to be the better team. But the Nuggets remain

confident that their young team has made strides.

“There is a growth process that definitely went on in the last two months of the season,” said Karl, whose team won numerous key games in April to solidify a playoff spot.

“It was very obvious that the guys had a great energy early on, we kind of stumbled around for six weeks and then regrouped.”

Now looking back, Karl was asked how his team regrouped so well.

“Managing, perseverance, coaching, toughness, players staying committed, team-ness. The fun of sport is when you fight together and figure things out. I think that happened in a lot of ways. As an organization and staff, you’re excited because you don’t think there will be many changes. Though you never know in the NBA, there might be that phone call.”

As for the second round Lakers-Thunder series, Karl said, “If the Lakers play like they played in Game 7, they can beat Oklahoma City. A lot of teams struggle early and finish strong.”

LOS ANGELES – Stretched to the limit in the series and in Game 7, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace led the Los Angeles Lakers off the brink of collapse and into the second round.

Gasol had 23 points, 17 rebounds and six assists, World Peace scored 15 points in his return from a seven-game suspension, and the Lakers outlasted the Denver Nuggets for a thrilling 96-87 victory Saturday night to win their first-round series.

Steve Blake scored a playoff career-high 19 points and Kobe Bryant had 17 points and eight assists for the Lakers, who blew a 16-point lead in the second half before surviving a finale with wild momentum swings and furious physical play. With Gasol leading the Lakers’ emotional effort – exemplified when he got five offensive rebounds on a single, unbelievable tip play with 7:10 left – the Lakers narrowly avoided becoming the ninth team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 series lead.

“We were aggressive,” Gasol said. “We attacked the paint better. We pounded the boards as hard as we could, every single time. … Our backs against the wall also had something to do with it.”

Andrew Bynum had 16 points and a career playoff-high 18 rebounds for Los Angeles, which will open the second round Monday night in Oklahoma City against the second-seeded Thunder.

Ty Lawson and Al Harrington scored 24 points apiece for the sixth-seeded Nuggets, who committed 19 turnovers and managed just 7-of-27 shooting in the fourth quarter. Arron Afflalo scored 15 points in just the third Game 7 in franchise history for the Nuggets, who have lost in the first round in eight of the last nine postseasons – but never with this much excitement.

“Tomorrow or the next day, when the funk gets out of your body, you’re going to be proud of them,” Denver coach George Karl said. “I’ve never been in a locker room at the end of a season where I’m proud of every guy. … The game was so physical. I think their size won over our speed, barely. We made enough shots to win, but we just didn’t rebound the ball.”

The Lakers appeared to be in control of the series after a narrow victory in Game 4 last weekend, but the Nuggets rallied for two straight dominant victories. Game 7 was a barn-burner, with both teams blowing significant leads in the final minutes.

World Peace hit four 3-pointers and energized Los Angeles with tough defense in his return. The former Ron Artest missed Los Angeles’ regular-season finale and the first six games against Denver for viciously elbowing Oklahoma City’s James Harden, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year and one of his probable defensive assignments in the next round.

World Peace helped shut down Danilo Gallinari and Andre Miller, holding them to a combined 2-for-19 shooting.

“He made plays tonight that won’t show up in the stat sheet that was absolutely … amazing,” said Mike Brown, who shrugged off Magic Johnson’s pregame pronouncement that the first-year coach’s job would be in jeopardy with a loss. “He was monstrous for us tonight.”

Gasol was the Lakers’ emotional leader, playing with renewed passion after a poor Game 6. Bryant didn’t dominate with scoring, but his playmaking helped Blake hit five 3-pointers in a row before missing his sixth attempt.

Gasol put the Lakers ahead for good with a tiebreaking tip-in with 6:30 to play, kicking off an 11-2 Lakers run. Afflalo’s 3-pointer cut the lead to 89-84 with 1:09 to play, but Bryant hit a dramatic 3-pointer before Gasol hit two free throws with 31 seconds left, punctuating his phenomenal game with a sweeping punch of his fist.

The Lakers improved to 15-1 in a Game 7 at home, winning 11 straight since the 1969 NBA finals. They’ve won three straight Game 7s since losing a first-rounder at Phoenix in 2006, also the last time an NBA team blew a 3-1 series lead.

The Lakers narrowly avoided becoming the ninth team to waste a 3-1 lead after losing two closeout games in the previous four days. Los Angeles had been 12-1 in closeout games since acquiring Gasol in 2008 before stumbling twice against the Nuggets, who led for almost every possession of the past two contests.

Gasol’s determination was obvious from the opening tip. The four-time All-Star had just three points and three rebounds in Game 6, but he played the finale with emotion and aggression, hustling for loose balls and rebounds while demonstratively celebrating baskets and playing to the crowd.

The Nuggets fell behind 62-46 midway through the third quarter, but erased the entire Lakers lead in a furious 6½-minute stretch led by Lawson, who scored 13 points in the period. Denver took a lead on the first shot of the fourth, but the Lakers never trailed after Blake’s 3-pointer with 9:03 left.

NOTES: Bryant is 5-1 in Game 7s in his career. … The Lakers played at home on a Saturday night for the first time all season. Their other two Saturday home dates were matinees. … Fans near courtside included Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Barry Diller and Diane Von Furstenberg, Julie Bowen, Zac Efron and rapper The Game.

DENVER (87)

Gallinari 1-9 0-0 3, Faried 3-5 0-0 6, Mozgov 1-1 0-0 2, Lawson 11-19 0-2 24, Afflalo 6-11 2-2 15, Miller 1-10 1-1 3, McGee 1-7 4-6 6, Harrington 9-18 3-3 24, Brewer 2-9 0-0 4. Totals 35-89 10-14 87.

L.A. LAKERS (96)

World Peace 5-15 1-2 15, Gasol 9-19 5-5 23, Bynum 4-15 8-11 16, Sessions 2-8 0-1 4, Bryant 7-16 1-4 17, Hill 1-4 0-0 2, Blake 7-11 0-0 19, Barnes 0-1 0-0 0, Ebanks 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-89 15-23 96.

Denver … 24 – 18 – 26 – 19-87

L.A. Lakers … 25 – 23- 21 – 27-96

3-Point Goals_Denver 7-26 (Harrington 3-10, Lawson 2-6, Gallinari 1-3, Afflalo 1-3, Miller 0-1, Brewer 0-3), L.A. Lakers 11-24 (Blake 5-6, World Peace 4-11, Bryant 2-2, Barnes 0-1, Sessions 0-4). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Denver 63 (McGee 14), L.A. Lakers 57 (Bynum 18). Assists_Denver 23 (Miller 8), L.A. Lakers 22 (Bryant 8). Total Fouls_Denver 21, L.A. Lakers 20. A_18,997 (18,997).

LOS ANGELES — Imagine if the Nuggets’ rookie power forward was Nikola Mirotic.

Almost happened. The Spanish low-post player was right behind Kenneth Faried on the draft list, with Portland choosing at No. 21 in last June’s draft. Surely, Portland was going to take Faried. After all, the Trail Blazers had seriously inquired about the Morehead State forward. But Portland chose Nolan Smith from Duke, so the Nuggets immediately called in their pick.

Mirotic, who turned 21 in February, went 23rd to Houston and didn’t play in the NBA this past season.

Meanwhile, Faried blossomed for the Nuggets and helped them reach Game 7 of the Western Conference opening-round series against the Lakers. Without Faried’s contributions at power forward, the Nuggets likely would have been eliminated.

Coaches and fans alike have watched Faried grow in this postseason, and it has nothing to do with his scoring or rebounding.

“They’re beating up Kenneth Faried (in this series), and it’s making us tougher,” Nuggets coach George Karl said before the Game 7 tipoff. “We’re seeing that kid stand up to all their cheap shots. Kenneth Faried just gets right back up and stands up and is stronger and stronger. You can see it make Timo (Mozgov) and JaVale (McGee) and our veteran guys want to fight for him and with him. It’s something that I don’t remember a rookie having that influence in a long time on the toughness and energy of the game.”

First things first

Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson followed up his terrific Game 6 performance with a strong first half Saturday night. He scored a game-high nine points in the first half, and had two assists. Heading into Game 7, Lawson had played his three best first quarters in the Nuggets’ three series wins. This is a positive trend for the future, as Karl routinely tells Lawson to make an immediate impact on the game with aggressiveness.

In the Game 3 win, Lawson had 13 points and two assists. In Game 5, at Staples Center, Lawson scored just two first-quarter points but tallied four first-quarter assists, his most first-quarter assists in any game. In Game 6, Lawson had 15 points and two assists in the first half.

The giant man was sprawled on the hardwood, hoisting the ball in the air with both hands, his mouth open, his eyes shut. The 1994 Nuggets, an eighth seed, had just stunned No. 1 seed Seattle to win a first-round playoff series.

It was probably the best day in the history of the Nuggets.

“And it was probably the worst day of my life I can remember, other than my dad dying,” said current Nuggets coach George Karl, who coached Seattle back then. “Losing that game on your home court, and being the first No. 1 seed ever (to lose), that’s pretty powerful.”

The indelible image of Dikembe Mutombo still haunts Karl, all these years later. There’s one thing that can help erase that memory. A Nuggets’ victory over the Lakers tonight in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series, which, if it happens, would cap one of the great playoff comebacks in franchise history.

“Maybe I can put another one up on the board that rocks history again,” Karl said Friday.

He hopes to mirror the ’94 win tonight, on his 61st birthday, by winning only the third Game 7 in Nuggets’ history. The sixth-seeded Nuggets trailed 3-1 before stunning the Lakers with a Game 5 victory at Staples Center, followed by a sledgehammer to the forehead win in Game 6 at Pepsi Center.

“Game 7 is going to be fun, I’m nervous already,” Karl said. “I’m turning 61 years old and I haven’t been nervous this early in a long time.”

History suggests the Nuggets have little shot. Only eight teams have ever ralliedfrom a 3-1 deficit, most recently the Suns defeating the Lakers in 2006.

And that Lakers loss was Kobe Bryant’s sole Game 7 loss. He’s 4-1 in Game 7s.

The Lakers have the experience, not only with Bryant, but also with big men Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace, making his first appearance of the series after coming off suspensions.

The Nuggets, though, have all the momentum.

After Denver won Game 6, the question was raised in the locker room if any Nuggets had ever played in a Game 7 (the answer is no), to which someone shouted, “Most of the Nuggets haven’t even been in the playoffs!”

But, after Bynum suggested that closeout games are actually kind of “easy” before Game 5, it was the Nuggets who began asserting their advantage in speed, energy and depth.

“We’re confident, the way we’ve been playing, we feel we can go there and get us one,” said Denver forward Al Harrington, a veteran team leader. “We had a lot of ups and downs this season, but this team has been very resilient. And that definitely helped us build the character that we’re showing.”

While the Lakers are wondering what has hit them, with both Bryant and head coach Mike Brown calling out Bynum and Gasol after the Game 6 loss, the Nuggets seem to grow in confidence by the day. The Nuggets are the youngest team in the Western Conference playoffs Karl said his team is embodying the “teamness” he preaches as key to winning.

“I think there’s more of that on this team than we’ve seen in a long time,” he said of his team’s unselfishness. “There’s no question that with the ego of basketball, there’s more laughter about it than serious debate of who should have a piece of the spotlight. I don’t know how long it will last but I hope it lasts a long time. I still think that in these moments, the more focus you have on being a team, the more success you’re going to have.”

Nuggets 113, Lakers 96

L.A. LAKERS (96)

Ebanks 4-9 2-2 10, Gasol 1-10 1-2 3, Bynum 4-11 3-5 11, Sessions 4-9 6-8 14, Bryant 13-23 4-4 31, Barnes 2-8 1-2 6, Hill 3-6 2-2 8, Blake 1-3 0-0 3, Eyenga 1-2 0-1 2, Murphy 1-1 0-0 3, Morris 1-1 3-4 5, McRoberts 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-83 22-30 96.

DENVER (113)

Gallinari 5-13 0-0 12, Faried 6-11 3-3 15, Mozgov 3-5 2-4 8, Lawson 13-18 1-3 32, Afflalo 3-5 0-0 6, McGee 1-5 0-0 2, Harrington 1-8 2-6 4, Miller 5-10 1-1 12, Brewer 8-12 0-0 18, Hamilton 1-2 0-0 2, Stone 1-2 0-0 2, Koufos 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 47-91 9-17 113.

L.A. Lakers 20 25 23 28 — 96

Denver 30 24 36 23 — 113

3-Point Goals — L.A. Lakers 4-14 (Murphy 1-1, Blake 1-2, Barnes 1-4, Bryant 1-4, Sessions 0-1, Ebanks 0-2), Denver 10-20 (Lawson 5-6, Brewer 2-3, Gallinari 2-6, Miller 1-1, Afflalo 0-1, Harrington 0-3). Fouled Out — None. Rebounds — L.A. Lakers 51 (Bynum 16), Denver 57 (Faried 11). Assists — L.A. Lakers 23 (Bryant, Blake 4), Denver 26 (Afflalo, Gallinari 7). Total Fouls — L.A. Lakers 17, Denver 22. Technicals — L.A. Lakers defensive three second. Flagrant Fouls — Bryant. A — 19,770 (19,155).

The Denver Nuggets are cruising into the playoffs, and capping the regular season against the woeful Minnesota Timberwolves may just keep it that way.

Coach George Karl is also planning to take advantage of the seemingly lopsided matchup.

Karl is looking to limit playing time for key contributors as the Nuggets try to continue their dominance of the Timberwolves on Thursday night.

Denver (37-28) has won three straight and 10 of 14 to match a franchise record with its ninth straight trip to the postseason.

“You do this in the month of April and a lot of things and a lot of pressure and a lot of stress have been on you, I think that it shows that our guys have a pretty big heart and have some good character,” Karl said.

“Everybody feels that we’re playing our best basketball right now,” he added.

The Nuggets’ playoff opponent is still undecided, with either the Los Angeles Lakers or Oklahoma City as potential foes. A win over Minnesota (26-39) would secure the sixth seed and a series with the Lakers. A loss combined with Dallas beating Atlanta would mean the Nuggets are No. 7, setting up a playoff rematch with the Thunder, who eliminated them in five games in the opening round last year.

“We’re going to go after (Thursday’s) game,” Karl said. “I’m not saying we want the Lakers over Oklahoma City. We just want to be playing as good of basketball as we’ve been playing.

“We’re not going to play anybody big minutes (Thursday) but we’re going to go in and try to win that game.”

The Nuggets have done plenty of that against the Timberwolves, winning 18 of the last 20 matchups. They took the most recent 113-107 on April 11, but fell 117-100 in the latest visit to the Target Center on March 25.

Denver returns to Minneapolis coming off Wednesday’s impressive 106-101 win at Oklahoma City.

Now, the Nuggets will try to capitalize on a Minnesota club that’s dropped 12 of 13 with a depleted roster. The Timberwolves are without All-Star forward-center Kevin Love (concussion) and guards Ricky Rubio (knee) and Luke Ridnour (ankle).

Ty Lawson is averaging 22.7 points while hitting 56.5 percent from the field over the last six games – five wins – after scoring 25 versus the Thunder. He led Denver with 24 points and eight assists against the Timberwolves earlier this month.

Arron Afflalo scored 21 in that meeting, and is averaging 21.0 over his last three.

The Timberwolves are ending a rough season that has included losing 12 of the last 13 while surrendering an average of 103.3 points. They lost 93-88 to Golden State on Sunday and guard J.J. Barea ripped his teammates for not caring.

“We’ve got problems here,” said Barea, who had 14 points and 12 assists while making 5 of 18 shots from the floor against the Warriors. “We’ve got a lot of guys that don’t care. … We’re just going to keep getting Ls until we get players here that care, that care about winning, care about the team and care about the fans.”

Michael Beasley, who made 3 of 11 from the field for eight points with nine rebounds Sunday, took exception to Barea’s comments.

“Until you point those guys out one by one, it doesn’t really matter,” said Beasley, whose average of 11.5 points is a major drop from his career-high 19.2 from last season – his first with Minnesota.

Barea is averaging 15.6 points and 9.7 assists in the past 10 games, including 12 points and a career-high 15 assists against the Nuggets this month.

Ty Lawson scored 25 points, Kenneth Faried added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 106-101 on Wednesday night to ensure they won’t be the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Kevin Durant scored 32 points to extend his lead in the NBA scoring race, leaving Kobe Bryant in need of 38 points in his season finale Thursday night against Sacramento to claim his third scoring title and prevent Durant from becoming the seventh player to win three in a row. Both are averaging about 28 points per game. LeBron James, who has sat out two of Miami’s last three games to rest, would need to score 83 in his finale to have a chance. Lawson’s free throw with 4:11 remaining put Denver up 96-95, and the Nuggets wouldn’t trail again. With a win Thursday at Minnesota, Denver would be the No. 6 seed and face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. If the Nuggets lose and Dallas wins at Atlanta, Denver would fall to No. 7 and have a rematch with Oklahoma City. The Thunder beat Denver 4-1 in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Durant had downplayed the importance of winning the scoring title, but the Thunder at least gave him a fighting chance to win it down the stretch. Durant sat out the fourth quarter after playing 32 minutes in a close game against Sacramento a night earlier, but this time he returned with just over 8 minutes left after Denver had scored eight straight points to go up 88-86 following Lawson’s driving layup. Durant had scored only 25 points by then — meaning Bryant would have needed only 32 to win the title. Just after returning, Durant tied the game with a two-handed dunk off an alley-oop from Westbrook, but the Nuggets came right back with the next six points to push their advantage to 94-88 after Faried’s reverse layup with 6:09 remaining. Durant responded with a 3-pointer and Oklahoma City tied it at 95 after Westbrook’s two free throws with 4:27 to go. Lawson scored the next three points on free throws and Denver hung on from there. Durant negated a possession with Oklahoma City trailing 100-99 when he was called for an offensive foul. Faried grabbed Arron Afflalo’s missed shot and dunked it with two hands before Russell Westbrook missed a 3-point attempt for the tie. Corey Brewer then got around Derek Fisher and banked in a critical 18-footer as the shot clock expired to bump the lead to 104-99. The Thunder had one last chance to tie, but Fisher missed a 3-pointer from the left wing with 9 seconds left. Westbrook finished with 30 points, and Serge Ibaka had 15 points and four blocks for Oklahoma City. Both had injury scares in the second half, with Ibaka leaving the floor with a hip contusion and Westbrook coming down hard on his left wrist after trying to block one of Brewer’s shots. Afflalo added 15 points for Denver, which had seven players in double figures. Notes: The Thunder unveiled their Northwest Division championship banner before the game, waiting until a divisional opponent played at Chesapeake Energy Arena to do it. Oklahoma City clinched its second straight division title on April 8. … Durant said he was proud of achieving his preseason goal of playing in all 66 games. It’s the second time in his five-year NBA career that he played every game. … The only players to win at least three straight scoring titles are George Mikan, Neil Johnston, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob McAdoo, George Gervin, and Michael Jordan. Chamberlain and Jordan are the only ones to have more than three in a row, with both winning seven consecutive titles.

For all of the trials, tribulations, injuries, youth and inconsistency that have been scarlet letters sewn into the Nuggets’ chests this season, a change is taking place.

The Nuggets are one of the hottest teams in the NBA.

Winners of six of their last eight games, the Nuggets (36-28) are getting things together with the playoffs on the horizon.

“We’re starting to play our best basketball at the right time,” Corey Brewer said. “That’s what it’s all about, especially going to the playoffs.”

The Nuggets not only have clinched a postseason berth, they’re honing in on the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference with two games left before their first-round playoff series.

In their last eight games, starting with a 123-84 pounding of the Golden State Warriors at the Pepsi Center on April 9, the Nuggets have allowed an average of only 95.8 points. Opponents have hit only 43.6 percent of their shots in that stretch.

“We’re better in some areas,” coach George Karl said of the Nuggets’ defense. “We have to get more aggressive on challenging the 3-ball and having our bigs active and alert running them off of the line.

“Corey Brewer has helped us a lot with some intelligence and energy he brings picking the ball up. So how we get that in a game in a playoff series would be interesting. We had some good games in March. (That) was kind of buffered by some bad games. In the last 10 games, our stats will probably show that we’re making some good, positive steps.”

The Nuggets are coming off a 101-74 rout of the Orlando Magic on Sunday at the Pepsi Center. They outscored the Magic 57-30 in the second half.

Offensively, the Nuggets have shifted to a better gear. They’re averaging 107 points in their last eight games, five points more than their season average.

Danilo Gallinari, who missed 10 games because of a fractured thumb, returned for the April 9 blowout of Golden State. He played well Sunday, hitting 6-of-12 shots, scoring 17 points and grabbing seven rebounds against the Magic.

“Gallo, two games ago, was rusty,” Karl said, referring to the 6-foot-10 forward’s four points and 0-for-7 shooting in Denver’s 104-98 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers last week. “Now he looks like he’s playing with a good motor.”

Ty Lawson also has turned up the volume, averaging 22.2 points and 6.4 assists and shooting 62.5 percent from 3-point range in his last five games.

Are the Nuggets playing their best ball right now?

Karl grinned.

“We’d better be,” he said. “That’s the hope.”

DENVER (CBS4) – Denver Nuggets veteran forward Al Harrington says the team is very excited and ready to go to the playoffs. He was the special guest on CBS4′s Xfinity Monday Live!

It got a little bit tight for the Nuggets down the stretch but they were able to clinch a spot in the playoffs after winning eight of 11 games. They now wait to find out who they will play in the first round.

“We started to gain confidence. I think Ty Lawson is really starting to take control of the team the way we envisioned him from the beginning of the season,” Harrington said. “I think we’ve just grown as a team and Arron (Afflalo) has been playing awesome.”

On Monday the Nuggets owned the sixth seed in the playoffs. They have two games left and if they win out they will stay at six.

There are three possible matchups for the Nuggets. One is the Oklahoma City Thunder, currently the second seed, a team that knocked the Nuggets out of the playoffs last year.

“We want them. I say, ‘Why not?’ We went down there, we were short-handed, we had a good chance to win it,” Harrington said. “We play them on Wednesday and we’re going to see how we measure up.”

If the season ended on Monday the Nuggets would match up against the Los Angeles Lakers, the third seed. It could be interesting if they opened against the Lakers because Ron Artest is facing a suspension from the league for an elbow to the Thunder’s James Harden. It’s possible he could be suspended as many as five games.

“Obviously as a competitor you don’t want to see down men, but whatever happens, happens,” Harrington said. “That’s going to be a very tough series if that’s who we play.”

The fourth seed is the other team from Los Angeles — the Clippers. Most of the Clippers’ players are going to the playoffs for the first time, giving the Nuggets an advantage for being in the playoffs before.

“I think that with Chris Paul; that gives them an advantage. He plays unbelievable basketball. But I think everybody after him is a little shaky, so if we get them that would be nice.”

But Harrington reiterated he wants to play Oklahoma City in the first round.

Until Sunday, Andre Miller and Harrington were the only Nuggets players who didn’t miss a game this season — a season that saw more back-to-back games because of the lockout.

“I wanted to play every game but I just figured I needed some rest to make sure I’m ready for the playoffs,” Harrington said.

Harrington does have a torn meniscus in his right knee but says he will deal with that in the offseason.

- By Matthew J. Buettner, CBSDenver.com

Watch more of the video with Harrington in the Xfinity Monday Live! section.