Are you flying in from overseas ?
Tahoe and Las Vegas are of opposite direction from SFO.
The most direct route from SFO to LVS, is I-5 or 99 go South then switch to 58 at Bakersfield.
If you leave from Tahoe, you can try go to Reno from Tahoe, and take 395, switch to 190, then I95 to LVS - but this route is secondary freeway, with very few towns going thru Nevada and Death Valley ...
Otherwise, your logical stopping town would be Bakersfield.