Lakers, LeBron roll in Game 1 of finals, top Heat 116-98
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) LeBron James finally got an easy Game 1 in the NBA Finals.
A very easy one, at that.
Anthony Davis scored 34 points, James had 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists and the Los Angeles Lakers rolled past the Miami Heat 116-98 on Wednesday night.
''The bigger the moment, he's just raising his play,'' Lakers coach Frank Vogel said about Davis, who was making his finals debut and made it look easy.
The Heat left beaten and battered. Point guard Goran Dragic left in the second quarter and, a person with knowledge of the situation, said he was diagnosed with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot - which obviously jeopardizes his availability for the rest of the finals. And All-Star center Bam Adebayo left in the third quarter after apparently aggravating a left shoulder strain.
''We're much better than we showed tonight,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ''You have to credit the Lakers, and we'll get to work for the next one.''
Game 2 is Friday night.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 13 points, Danny Green had 11 and Alex Caruso finished with 10 for the Lakers. They returned to the finals for the first time in a decade and sent a very clear message. James' teams had been 1-8 in Game 1 of past finals, with losses in each of the last seven openers.
Not this one.
''We kind of picked it up on both ends of the floor,'' Davis said.
Jimmy Butler fought through a twisted left ankle to score 23 points for Miami. Kendrick Nunn scored 18 points for the Heat, Tyler Herro had 14 and Jae Crowder 12.
''I, and we, are here for him,'' Butler said about Dragic. ''We know how much he wants to win, how much he wants to go to war and battle with us. And obviously, we love him for that and we want him out there with us. But whatever the docs tell him to do, that's what he's got to do. ... He's got to take care of himself first.''
Adebayo was held to eight points in 21 minutes, and Miami went with subs for a fourth-quarter burst that turned a total rout into something only slightly more palatable in terms of final margin.
The Lakers did whatever they wanted. They outrebounded Miami 54-36, led by as many as 32 points, and made 15 3-pointers - a big number for a team that doesn't necessarily count on piling up that many points from beyond the arc. They're 21-3 this season when making at least 14 3s.
The only stretch that provided hope for Miami came in the first six minutes. The Heat scored on six consecutive possessions in what became a 13-0 run to take a 23-10 lead midway through the opening period.
So, the first six minutes were fine for Miami.
Everything else was all Lakers.
''You have to get a feel for how hard Miami plays,'' James said. ''They smacked us in the mouth and we got a sense of that. ... From that moment when it was 23-10, we started to play to our capabilities.''
The simplest way to sum up what happened over the rest of the opening half is this: Lakers 55, Heat 25. The Lakers came into Game 1 ranked 21st out of the 22 teams that spent time in the bubble from 3-point range, making only 33.6% of their tries from deep at Disney. They were the only team in the postseason to have two games shooting less than 25% on 3s.
Perhaps they were due. The Lakers went 9-for-11 on 3's in the final 16 minutes of the first half. Of the nine Lakers who played in the first two quarters, eight tried a 3-pointer - and all eight made at least one.
They closed the first quarter on a 19-3 run. Herro banked in a 3 from a sharp angle for a 43-41 Miami lead with 7:33 left in the half, and then the Lakers took off again, this time on a 24-5 burst to go into the break with a 65-48 lead.
The Lakers started the third on another run, this one 18-3, and the rout was officially underway.
''You can learn so much more from a win than you can in a loss,'' James said. ''I can't wait for tomorrow for us to get back together and watch the film and see ways we can be better.''
TIP-INS
Heat: Butler turned his left ankle in the final seconds of the first half, remained in the game and started the second half. ... It was the 19th time that Miami lost a game this season after leading by double digits at some point.
Lakers: The Lakers improved to 17-15 in Game 1s of title series. ... Davis was 10 for 10 from the foul line, plus added nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
JAMES' RECORDS
The NBA Finals record book is basically a James scrapbook of career achievements, and he raised his spot on some of those lists Wednesday. He became the seventh player to appear in 50 NBA Finals games (he could climb all the way to a tie for third on that list if this series goes seven games) and passed Michael Jordan and George Mikan for fifth in finals free throws made.
FAMILIAR SPOT
The Heat fell to 1-5 in Game 1 of title series. All three of Miami's championships have come after dropping the opener.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | Bam Adebayo vs. Dwight Howard (LeBron James gains possession) | |||
11:40 | Anthony Davis misses two point jump shot | |||
11:39 | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | |||
11:23 | Bam Adebayo misses two point jump shot | |||
11:22 | Dwight Howard defensive rebound | |||
11:04 | Danny Green misses three point jump shot | |||
11:03 | Jae Crowder defensive rebound | |||
10:44 | +3 | Jae Crowder makes three point jump shot (Goran Dragic assists) | 3-0 | |
10:19 | +3 | Anthony Davis makes three point jump shot (LeBron James assists) | 3-3 | |
10:07 | +3 | Jimmy Butler makes three point jump shot (Goran Dragic assists) | 6-3 | |
9:56 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses three point jump shot | |||
9:55 | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | |||
9:42 | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point floating jump shot | 8-3 | |
9:23 | Anthony Davis misses two point floating jump shot | |||
9:23 | Lakers offensive rebound | |||
9:21 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point fadeaway jump shot (LeBron James assists) | 8-5 | |
9:08 | Anthony Davis shooting foul (Bam Adebayo draws the foul) | |||
9:08 | +1 | Bam Adebayo makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 9-5 | |
9:08 | +1 | Bam Adebayo makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 10-5 | |
8:53 | +3 | LeBron James makes three point step back jump shot | 10-8 | |
8:38 | Danny Green blocks Goran Dragic's two point jump shot | |||
8:37 | LeBron James defensive rebound | |||
8:33 | Jae Crowder personal foul (Anthony Davis draws the foul) | |||
8:16 | +2 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes two point step back jump shot | 10-10 | |
8:03 | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point layup (Jimmy Butler assists) | 12-10 | |
7:51 | Danny Green misses three point jump shot | |||
7:49 | Duncan Robinson defensive rebound | |||
7:39 | +2 | Goran Dragic makes two point driving layup | 14-10 | |
7:26 | Anthony Davis turnover (offensive goaltending) | |||
7:05 | Goran Dragic misses two point floating jump shot | |||
7:04 | Bam Adebayo offensive rebound | |||
7:03 | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point putback dunk | 16-10 | |
6:45 | Dwight Howard offensive foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | |||
6:45 | Dwight Howard turnover (offensive foul) | |||
6:45 | Lakers 60 second timeout | |||
6:32 | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point driving layup | 18-10 | |
6:15 | LeBron James turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
6:02 | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Goran Dragic assists) | 20-10 | |
5:46 | Danny Green turnover (bad pass) (Goran Dragic steals) | |||
5:38 | +3 | Jae Crowder makes three point jump shot (Jimmy Butler assists) | 23-10 | |
5:36 | Lakers 60 second timeout | |||
5:14 | +2 | Rajon Rondo makes two point step back jump shot | 23-12 | |
4:54 | Jimmy Butler misses two point layup | |||
4:51 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
4:41 | Rajon Rondo misses three point jump shot | |||
4:40 | Tyler Herro defensive rebound | |||
4:23 | Jae Crowder misses three point jump shot | |||
4:20 | Andre Iguodala offensive rebound | |||
4:20 | +2 | Andre Iguodala makes two point putback dunk | 25-12 | |
4:05 | Kyle Kuzma misses two point jump shot | |||
4:03 | Tyler Herro defensive rebound | |||
4:02 | Tyler Herro turnover (lost ball) (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope steals) | |||
3:44 | +3 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes three point jump shot (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 25-15 | |
3:31 | Tyler Herro misses two point driving layup | |||
3:30 | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | |||
3:15 | +3 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes three point jump shot (Rajon Rondo assists) | 25-18 | |
3:08 | Heat 60 second timeout | |||
2:56 | +3 | Jae Crowder makes three point jump shot (Andre Iguodala assists) | 28-18 | |
2:47 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point driving layup (Rajon Rondo assists) | 28-20 | |
2:33 | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | |||
2:31 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
2:23 | Duncan Robinson shooting foul (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope draws the foul) | |||
2:23 | +1 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-21 | |
2:23 | +1 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-22 | |
2:09 | Andre Iguodala misses two point jump shot | |||
2:07 | Andre Iguodala offensive rebound | |||
2:05 | Tyler Herro misses three point jump shot | |||
2:04 | Rajon Rondo defensive rebound | |||
2:00 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses two point layup | |||
1:59 | Duncan Robinson defensive rebound | |||
1:46 | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | |||
1:45 | Alex Caruso defensive rebound | |||
1:38 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses three point jump shot | |||
1:37 | Anthony Davis offensive rebound | |||
1:37 | Bam Adebayo shooting foul (Anthony Davis draws the foul) | |||
1:37 | +1 | Anthony Davis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-23 | |
1:37 | +1 | Anthony Davis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-24 | |
1:27 | Goran Dragic misses two point jump shot | |||
1:25 | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | |||
1:16 | Bam Adebayo shooting foul (LeBron James draws the foul) | |||
1:16 | +1 | LeBron James makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-25 | |
1:16 | +1 | LeBron James makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-26 | |
1:01 | Goran Dragic turnover (bad pass) (Alex Caruso steals) | |||
0:50 | Anthony Davis misses two point turnaround hook shot | |||
0:48 | Derrick Jones Jr. defensive rebound | |||
0:47 | Derrick Jones Jr. turnover (bad pass) (LeBron James steals) | |||
0:44 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point layup (LeBron James assists) | 28-28 | |
0:28 | Anthony Davis blocks Derrick Jones Jr.'s two point layup | |||
0:27 | LeBron James defensive rebound | |||
0:04 | +3 | Alex Caruso makes three point jump shot (Anthony Davis assists) | 28-31 | |
0:00 | Tyler Herro misses three point jump shot | |||
0:00 | Heat offensive rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11:48 | +2 | Goran Dragic makes two point finger roll layup | 30-31 | |
11:23 | +3 | Kyle Kuzma makes three point jump shot (LeBron James assists) | 30-34 | |
11:08 | Solomon Hill misses three point jump shot | |||
11:07 | Alex Caruso defensive rebound | |||
10:52 | LeBron James misses two point jump shot | |||
10:51 | Tyler Herro defensive rebound | |||
10:42 | +2 | Tyler Herro makes two point driving layup (Andre Iguodala assists) | 32-34 | |
10:27 | Markieff Morris misses two point jump shot | |||
10:26 | Solomon Hill defensive rebound | |||
10:16 | Jimmy Butler misses two point driving layup | |||
10:15 | Markieff Morris defensive rebound | |||
10:06 | +3 | Rajon Rondo makes three point jump shot (Markieff Morris assists) | 32-37 | |
9:50 | Tyler Herro misses three point jump shot | |||
9:49 | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | |||
9:38 | Alex Caruso turnover (lost ball) (Goran Dragic steals) | |||
9:34 | +2 | Goran Dragic makes two point layup (Tyler Herro assists) | 34-37 | |
9:19 | Solomon Hill shooting foul (Rajon Rondo draws the foul) | |||
9:19 | +1 | Rajon Rondo makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 34-38 | |
9:19 | +1 | Rajon Rondo makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 34-39 | |
8:58 | +3 | Jimmy Butler makes three point jump shot (Tyler Herro assists) | 37-39 | |
8:36 | Rajon Rondo misses three point jump shot | |||
8:35 | Goran Dragic defensive rebound | |||
8:31 | Rajon Rondo personal foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | |||
8:22 | Jimmy Butler turnover (bad pass) (Danny Green steals) | |||
8:18 | +2 | Alex Caruso makes two point dunk (LeBron James assists) | 37-41 | |
8:00 | +3 | Tyler Herro makes three point jump shot (Jimmy Butler assists) | 40-41 | |
7:40 | LeBron James misses two point driving layup | |||
7:38 | Solomon Hill defensive rebound | |||
7:33 | +3 | Tyler Herro makes three point jump shot (Jimmy Butler assists) | 43-41 | |
7:30 | Lakers 60 second timeout | |||
7:17 | +3 | Danny Green makes three point jump shot (LeBron James assists) | 43-44 | |
7:05 | Kyle Kuzma personal foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | |||
6:59 | Tyler Herro turnover (out of bounds step) | |||
6:43 | +3 | Anthony Davis makes three point jump shot (Danny Green assists) | 43-47 | |
6:25 | Tyler Herro misses two point jump shot | |||
6:24 | Danny Green defensive rebound | |||
6:15 | +2 | Alex Caruso makes two point driving layup (LeBron James assists) | 43-49 | |
6:09 | Heat 60 second timeout | |||
6:00 | Bam Adebayo misses two point floating jump shot | |||
5:58 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
5:36 | +2 | Danny Green makes two point floating jump shot | 43-51 | |
5:36 | Markieff Morris personal foul (Loose ball) (Duncan Robinson draws the foul) | |||
5:20 | Anthony Davis blocks Goran Dragic's two point floating jump shot | |||
5:17 | Rajon Rondo defensive rebound | |||
5:00 | +3 | Markieff Morris makes three point jump shot (Anthony Davis assists) | 43-54 | |
4:42 | Goran Dragic misses three point jump shot | |||
4:41 | Markieff Morris defensive rebound | |||
4:31 | Rajon Rondo turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
4:21 | Danny Green personal foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | |||
4:13 | Jimmy Butler misses two point step back jump shot | |||
4:11 | Lakers defensive rebound | |||
3:54 | Anthony Davis misses two point jump shot | |||
3:51 | Andre Iguodala defensive rebound | |||
3:47 | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point layup (Andre Iguodala assists) | 45-54 | |
3:36 | +3 | Danny Green makes three point jump shot (Anthony Davis assists) | 45-57 | |
3:28 | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point driving layup | 47-57 | |
3:28 | Lakers delay of game violation | |||
3:28 | Lakers 60 second timeout | |||
3:17 | +2 | LeBron James makes two point driving layup | 47-59 | |
3:03 | Bam Adebayo misses two point jump shot | |||
3:02 | LeBron James defensive rebound | |||
2:55 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | |||
2:43 | LeBron James shooting foul (Bam Adebayo draws the foul) | |||
2:43 | Bam Adebayo misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
2:43 | Heat offensive rebound | |||
2:43 | +1 | Bam Adebayo makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 48-59 | |
2:26 | Andre Iguodala blocks LeBron James's two point driving layup | |||
2:26 | Heat defensive rebound | |||
2:02 | Bam Adebayo misses two point jump shot | |||
2:00 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope defensive rebound | |||
1:48 | LeBron James turnover (lost ball) (Jimmy Butler steals) | |||
1:41 | Danny Green blocks Andre Iguodala's two point layup | |||
1:40 | Danny Green defensive rebound | |||
1:31 |