updated 2:31 a.m. ET May 28, 2008

SAN ANTONIO - Kobe Bryant looked back and found himself all alone. All but guaranteed the basket, he went up and slammed the ball with a little extra oomph, just for good measure.

One more win, and Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers will be all alone in the Western Conference and on their way to the NBA finals.

The Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs 93-91 on Tuesday night — surviving a last-second 3-point attempt that would have given the Spurs the win — for a 3-1 lead in the conference finals.

“It is a big step for us,” said Bryant, who led the Lakers with 28 points and 10 rebounds. “Tonight we came out and did a much, much better job to win in this building in this particular game. It’s big for us.”

The defending champion Spurs lost at home for the first time this postseason and they face elimination when they play Game 5 in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The Lakers were last in the finals in 2004 when they lost to Detroit in five games.

Lamar Odom, who was upset with his Game 3 performance, scored 16 points, eight in the fourth quarter, for Los Angeles, while Pau Gasol had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Vladimir Radmanovic added 11 points.

“I just stayed composed. I kept my poise,” Odom said. “I just stayed tough, told myself it was a long game.”

Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 29 points and 17 rebounds, while reserve Brent Barry had 23 points and his last-second 3-point attempt could have given the Spurs the win.

Barry and the Spurs brushed off talk that he was fouled on the play by Lakers guard Derek Fisher.

“That’s not going to get called in the Western Conference finals,” Barry said. “Maybe in the regular season. But that call shouldn’t be called in the Western Conference finals.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said: “If I was the official I wouldn’t have called that a foul.”

Fisher said he “never thought they would blow a whistle.”

“I think we met simultaneously, and there was contact for sure,” Fisher said. “But I don’t think I ran through him.”

The Lakers led all game after opening a 22-8 lead. The Spurs got within 81-79 in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers scored seven straight points.

“I told them at the end of the ballgame, their energy was terrific,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “Coming out and responding to a loss and getting a lead ... and playing with that kind of energy, I think, carried us over and we responded every time that they came in, tied the ballgame.”

Tony Parker added 23 points for the Spurs, who tied the game five times.

The Spurs shot 40 percent (30-of-75) from the field and the Lakers shot nearly 45 percent (38-of-85).

Slide show The second season Slide show: Top images from the 2008 NBA playoffs. NBCSports.com

With the Lakers up 93-86 and 50 seconds to play, Gasol missed two free throws.

Manu Ginobili, who had struggled all night, hit a 3-pointer to bring the Spurs within four. After a miss by Bryant, Parker scored on a fast break when Odom was called for goaltending, bringing the Spurs within 93-91 with 28 seconds to play.

Fisher missed a shot for Los Angeles but the ball went out of bounds and remained in the Lakers’ possession with 2 seconds on the shot clock.

Bryant missed a jumper and the Spurs had 2.1 seconds left. When Barry’s 3 missed, Bryant pumped his fists in the air and the Lakers were headed home in command of the series.

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