Los Angeles ? The Lakers completed an improbable comeback late Saturday night, sending the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs home for the summer.

Exactly a year earlier, it was the Spurs celebrating a Western Conference semifinal triumph on the same court to end the tearful Lakers’ quest for a fourth straight title.

Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, and Shaquille O’Neal had 17 points, 19 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Lakers beat the Spurs, 88-76, to win the conference semifinals in six games.