Lakers vs. Heat score, takeaways: Anthony Davis has brilliant Finals debut; LeBron James goes hunting in win

The Heat were blown out in Game 1 and injury concerns abound

The Los Angeles Lakers got off to an impressive start in the first game of the NBA Finals, handing the Miami Heat a 116-98 loss on Wednesday. The Heat built a 23-10 lead in the first quarter, but after that, it was all Lakers, who led by as many as 32 points on their way to victory.

Anthony Davis continued his offensive playoff assault, dominating both inside and out to give the Heat's defense problems all night long en route to 34 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks. LeBron James wasn't as aggressive looking for his own shot but orchestrated the offense beautifully on his way to 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists in yet another NBA Finals win.

The story for the Heat was the injury bug, with both Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo exiting the game and Jimmy Butler being hampered by an apparent ankle injury that he suffered just before halftime. Butler led the team with 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting.

Miami will hope its key players will be able to return for Friday's Game 2, when the Lakers will look to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Here are four takeaways from the NBA Finals opener.

1. Welcome to the Finals, A.D.

Anthony Davis has entered uncharted territory this postseason with his first trip to the Western Conference finals and now his first time in the NBA Finals, and he's answered the bell at every turn. Davis was spectacular once again on Wednesday, scoring 34 points, the third-most ever for a Laker making his NBA Finals debut, on 11-for-21 shooting, while hitting all 10 of his free throws. The big man also pulled down nine rebounds, collected three blocks and showcased his passing touch with five assists.

Some felt Miami's physical defense would give Davis problems, but he didn't seem to be concerned with any defender that the Heat threw at him. It's hard to say he was the best player on the floor because of what LeBron does for the Lakers on a nightly basis, but Davis continues to prove that he is not scared of big moments, even ones that he's never encountered before. 

2. Heat injuries

It's bad enough when you lose Game 1 of the NBA Finals by 18 points, but it's even worse when you also come away with injuries to your three best players. Butler played through his injury, but ankle problems have a tendency to get worse when the adrenaline wears off and the swelling sets in. Adebayo injured his shoulder in the third quarter and did not return, but X-rays were negative. Dragic's injury, however, seems to be more serious. The 34-year-old point guard reportedly has a plantar tear in his left foot, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, which casts doubt on his future in the series.

The Heat are deep and talented, but they probably need all three of those players at full strength if they're going to be any match for the Lakers in this series.

3. LeBron goes hunting

Six of LeBron's nine made field goals came inside the paint, and that's largely due to him hunting switches, particularly against Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson, throughout the game. James let Davis do most of the offensive lifting, but LeBron mercilessly exploited the switches when he saw the opportunity. Watch here as James calls for Herro's man, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, to set the screen for him before he even crosses halfcourt. After he gets the switch, LeBron signals for the iso and gets to the rim, where he misses the layup but gets his own rebound and gets fouled.

Herro and Robinson are a huge part of the Miami offense, but they're going to have to figure out what to do to prevent LeBron from taking advantage of them on the other end.

4. Lakers get defensive

The Heat looked to be clicking on all cylinders to open the game, but the Lakers' defense quickly put on the clamps and looked nearly impenetrable for the rest of the night. Frank Vogel said before the game that the team's primary goal was to keep Miami off the free throw line, and he has to be pleased. The Heat came in averaging 27.6 free throw attempts per game this postseason, and they were held to just 14 attempts in Game 1, only four attempts in the first half when the Heat were still relatively healthy. It's extremely difficult to contain the paint against the Heat while also extending the defense out to their excellent 3-point shooters, but the Lakers were able to do it on Wednesday. If they can keep it up it might be a short series, but it's going to be a difficult task.

5. Nunn gets some run

If you're looking for a silver lining as a Heat fan, you can point to the play of Kendrick Nunn off the bench. Called into action due to the Dragic injury, Nunn -- who has played limited playoff minutes after starting for the entire regular season -- put up 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting in 19 minutes and was actually a plus-8 in a game they lost by 18 points. Obviously, Nunn is going to need to contribute if Dragic is forced to miss any time or is hindered, and sometimes seeing the ball go in during a stretch of garbage time can get a player going. Don't be surprised if Nunn sees the floor in Game 2, even if Dragic suits up.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:36 pm ET · James Herbert]

FINAL SCORE: Lakers 116, Heat 98

Anthony Davis: 34 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 1 turnover, 11-21 FG, 2-4 3PT, 10-10 FT.

LeBron James. 25, points, 13 rebounds, nine assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 9-17 FG, 2-4 3PT, 5-6 FT. 

Jimmy Butler: 23 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 8-13 FG, 2-4 3PT, 5-5 FT

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:36 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

This is old hat for J.R, though if you'd given me 10,000 to 1 that he'd ever close another Finals game under any circumstances, I'll grant that I wouldn't have taken that bet.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:35 pm ET · James Herbert]

But also: J.R. Smith Finals minutes!

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:34 pm ET · James Herbert]

He is wonderful to the media, it's true.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:34 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Jared Dudley Finals minutes! Every NBA media member is smiling right now.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:33 pm ET · James Herbert]

AD: 34-9-5, three blocks, one turnover, 11-for-21, 2-for-4 from deep, 10-for-10 from the line. Another ridiculous game.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:32 pm ET · James Herbert]

And now he'll finally check out. 25-13-9 for LeBron, 9-for-17 shooting, 5-for-6 from the line, one steal, just two turnovers.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:32 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Timeout Frank Vogel, and it looks like the starters are done for the night.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:31 pm ET · James Herbert]

LeBron seems annoyed that he has to do this.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:31 pm ET · James Herbert]

So did Solomon Hill's deep 3.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:31 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

LeBron is back up to 50% shooting, for those of you who care about that sort of thing.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:30 pm ET · James Herbert]

That shot made me feel terrible inside.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:30 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

If it were possible for an entire postseason's worth of regression to come in one shot, that's what just happened to Rondo.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:30 pm ET · James Herbert]

Herro is cutting into that awful plus-minus now. Strong move!

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:29 pm ET · James Herbert]

This is an interesting but surely meaningless mini-comeback.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:28 pm ET · James Herbert]

LeBron is mad hahaha.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:28 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

There's assist No. 9. Don't expect him to take another shot until he reaches double-digits.

[Sep 30, 2020 at 11:28 pm ET · James Herbert]

LeBron and AD are still in, up 19. Kinda wild.