LOS ANGELES (AP) – Karl Malone has made his mark as a scorer, averaging 25 points per game in a terrific 19-year professional career.

Now, at age 40 with his future in question, the man generally regarded as the best power forward in NBA history is making his most significant contributions on defense.

“I have said if I’m going to make the adjustment financially, I’ll make the whole adjustment,” Malone said after making life difficult for San Antonio superstar Tim Duncan for the fourth straight game in the Los Angeles Lakers’ series-clinching 88-76 victory over the Spurs on Saturday night.

In search of his first championship ring, Malone joined the Lakers last summer after 18 superb seasons in Utah that left him as the second-leading scorer in NBA history. He’s earning some $17 million less than he did in his final season with the Jazz.

Malone finished this season with 36,928 points – 1,459 less than all-time leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored in his 20-year career. Malone averaged 26.3 points in 172 playoff games for the Jazz and is averaging 13.6 points in 11 postseason games for the Lakers.

“I came into this series defensive-minded – I wasn’t even thinking about scoring a lot,” he said. “If you get dirty, you get dirty. I like that. I just wanted to try and keep Tim from averaging 30. That was my goal, to make him work for everything he got.”

Duncan shot 20-of-31 and averaged 27 points, and Tony Parker shot 21-of-42 and averaged 25 to lead San Antonio to a pair of 10-point victories in the first two games of the Western Conference semifinals.

But in the final four games – all Los Angeles victories – Duncan shot 23-of-60 and averaged 17 points and Parker shot 21-of-71 and averaged 12 points.

Duncan had 20 points and 11 rebounds in Game 6, but with Malone and Shaquille O’Neal banging him continually in the low block, he shot only 7-of-18.

“Karl just played really solid defense,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

He wasn’t the only one. As a team, the Spurs shot just under 50 percent in the first two games and 35.6 percent in the final four including 30.2 percent in Game 6.

“I still believe that this team is coming together as a basketball team,” Jackson said. “Each critical game like this brings some more confidence in them and the experience solidifies them as a group. And that’s the way it has to be in the championship run.”

Jackson should know, having coached nine championship teams – six with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s and three with the Lakers from 2000-2002 – to tie former Boston coach Red Auerbach for the most in league history.

The Lakers have reached the halfway point in these playoffs on what they hope to be a journey that ends with their fourth championship in five years.

By beating the Spurs, they might have knocked out the biggest obstacle. Minnesota or Sacramento is next, followed by the Eastern Conference champion in the NBA Finals should the Lakers advance.

“If they continue to play like this, it’s tough to see anyone going around them,” Duncan said.

Lakers star Kobe Bryant isn’t so sure.

“The deeper you move into the playoffs, the more difficult challenges become,” he said. “Now, to face Minnesota or Sacramento, it’s going to be a different type of challenge. But nonetheless, it’s going to be a huge obstacle to overcome.”

The Timberwolves and Kings are tied 3-3 and play the seventh and deciding game of their series Wednesday night. The conference finals start Friday night in Minnesota should the Timberwolves beat the Kings or in Los Angeles if Sacramento advances.

Bryant had 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and O’Neal had 17 points, 19 rebounds and five blocked shots in the finale of the conference semifinals as the Lakers completed an improbable comeback to send the defending champion Spurs home for the summer.

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

The Lakers became the eighth team in NBA history to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first two games and the first since Houston accomplished the feat in the conference semifinals against Phoenix in 1995.