SAN ANTONIO -- The events of Tuesday night weren't as indelible as the renowned "0.4" shot, but Derek Fisher was in the thick of another improbable victory against San Antonio.
The Lakers were leading, barely, in an ever-tightening fourth quarter when Fisher called the other four starters to the side after a timeout.
His forceful delivery conveyed a simple message: We're not coming back here for Game 6.
It looked like the inspirational talk of the year, and then it looked as if it were all for naught, but the final score showed the Lakers holding off the Spurs, 93-91, in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday at AT&T Center.
The Lakers lead the best-of-seven series, 3-1. Game 5 is Thursday at Staples Center.
"I was just saying that I believed we were going to win this game," Fisher said. "I told them, 'We earned this game. Let's go claim it. If we want to be champions, we'll win these five minutes.' "
The Lakers won the first four minutes after Fisher's words and then almost squandered a seven-point lead in the final minute, but Brent Barry, bumped by Fisher, was wide right on a three-point attempt at the buzzer, preserving the Lakers' two-point edge.
It was a scintillating end to a game the Lakers led from start to finish, a line that is almost becoming redundant in the playoffs. The Lakers have now won four of their last six games without ever trailing.
The pattern was almost predictable -- the Lakers took a lead, the Spurs caught them, the Lakers extended the lead again.
Kobe Bryant had 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol rebounded from poor Game 3 efforts. Odom had 16 points and nine rebounds. Gasol had 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
The Lakers took a big win from San Antonio, evoking images of their May 2004 victory over the Spurs on Fisher's improbable shot while washing away the taste of a 19-point defeat in Game 3.
"It's a big step for us," Bryant said. "Game 3 was an opportunity to learn in terms of how hard we need to play, the speed we need to play with. We came out and did a much, much better job to win in this building in this particular game. It's big for us."
It didn't come without its perils, which seemed unlikely after the Lakers took a 93-86 lead after two free throws by Odom with 56.5 seconds to play.
But Manu Ginobili made a three-pointer, Gasol missed two free throws, Bryant missed a layup without killing much of the clock, and Odom was called for goaltending on Tony Parker's layup attempt.
