Lakers, LeBron roll in Game 1 of finals, top Heat 116-98

BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — LeBron James finally got an easy Game 1 in the NBA Finals. A very easy one, at second quarter and, a person that. with knowledge of the

Anthony Davis scored situation, said he was diagnosed 34 points, James had 25 with a torn plantar points, 13 rebounds and fascia in his left foot — nine assists and the Los which obviously jeopardizes Angeles Lakers rolled his availability for the past the Miami Heat 11698 rest of the finals. on Wednesday night. And All-Star center Bam

“The bigger the moment, Adebayo left in the third he’s just raising quarter after apparently aggravating his play,” Lakers coach a left shoulder Frank Vogel said about strain.

Davis, who was making “We’re much better his finals debut and than we showed tonight,” made it look easy. Heat coach Erik

The Heat left beaten Spoelstra said. “You have and battered. Point guard to credit the Lakers, and Goran Dragic left in the we’ll get to work for the next one.”

Game 2 is Friday ni ght .

Kentavious CaldwellPope 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 fourthquarter 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 5436, 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 213 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 3point 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 9for-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 245 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.” TI P-I NS

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.

LAKE