LOS ANGELES — Everything finally bubbles and boils over tonight in a precursor to the Western Conference finals.

Not for the Los Angeles Lakers, who yesterday disclosed that center Andrew Bynum would undergo arthroscopic surgery on his injured left knee this week. They eclipsed the Utah Jazz on Friday, avoiding a deciding game today and ticketing a Wednesday start of conference finals at Staples Center.

The Game 7 that remains tonight is a matchup of the New Orleans Hornets and San Antonio Spurs, whose series may signify a passing of the torch from the elderly to the up-and-coming.

And to the victors, a chance to play the Lakers.

Los Angeles Coach Phil Jackson used yesterday to contemplate each team's distinctions and drawbacks.

"They've been through a lot of heavy battles over the last three years with that group of guys that they are real comfortable with," Jackson said of the Spurs.

"They've got pretty much a known answer to a variety of problems. They're the oldest team in the league, and that weighs a lot in experience factor. It also weighs against them in just the recovery aspect of it.

"On the other side, you've got a very young team, full of confidence and very capable, very athletic, that has a combination of driving and shooting capabilities. ... So, we've got two teams that are very competent, very proficient."

The tipping point may be the venue, with the game in the Big Easy. The Hornets are 6-0 there this postseason, and the home-court team is 22-2 in the second round.

The Hornets have run through the Spurs by an average of nearly 20 points in the three games at New Orleans Arena during the series. Hornets forward David West is expected to play after sitting out the end of Game 6 because of a sore back, provided by a Robert Horry pick.

"If I was the Lakers, I would like to play New Orleans just because of the coaching matchup and because of their so-called inexperience, which I think is a little overrated," said an NBA advance scout who is not authorized by his team to speak without anonymity.

"You wouldn't mind San Antonio being a little emotionally fatigued and a little older. But, you never wish to face the defending champions."

Whomever they face, it has long been clear that the Lakers will do so without Bynum.

His surgery is scheduled for Wednesday in New York by Dr. David Altcheck. It will involve cleaning up rough spots in his knee and some fraying underneath the kneecap.

A team spokesman said the Lakers on Wednesday will release a report of the surgery and estimated timeline of Bynum's return.

Bynum has been out since Jan. 13 because of a bone bruise in the knee and a subluxation of the kneecap — a brief dislocation that popped back into place.

"It's always been kind of a nebulous area ever since the first couple of weeks after his (injury), it's always been is this going to be something that's going to be the end result?" Jackson said.

"We hope it's going to be the end result of the knee injury that he had."

Only a handful of Lakers were on hand for an informal practice yesterday that involved scrimmaging, shooting and conditioning.

Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher were given the day off. Pau Gasol and Sasha Vujacic came in for treatment.

"Sasha got banged around a little bit," Jackson said. "Pau's ankle. Kobe's back. Lamar's knee. You just go down the list of things that go on, and players have to maintain it. There's just nagging injuries that go on through this time of the year, and you want them to be as healthy as possible."

Vujacic experienced a bit of whiplash in Game 6, taking a charge against Utah's Paul Millsap and banging his head against the court.

"Everybody was teasing me and joking around in the locker room afterwards, but it was worth it," Vujacic said. "We got away with a win, and it was great."

And what was the teasing about?

"My first charge of the year and stuff like that," he said.

The team plans to again congregate for dinner tonight and watch the game that determines their next opponent.

Before the past two series, Bryant has picked up the bill. If not, there is another way to settle the tab, forward Luke Walton said.

"We like to play a little credit card roulette, where everybody throws their credit card in a hat," he said. "Last person out gets to pay. It may be a little more fun to do it that way anyways."

Or, of course, another option ...

"Either that or we'll make Coby Karl, the rookie, pick it up."

Either way, a Kobe — or a Coby — is in for a big bill tonight.