LeBron James had previously gone 1-8 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals but he didn’t let that get in the way of he and the Los Angeles Lakers from taking care of business and making a brutal impression on the Miami Heat who came into tonight’s game with the same record (12-3) as the Lakers through the first 3 rounds of the playoffs. The Lakers defeated the Heat 116-98 in Game 1 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, in a game which the Lakers led by as many as 32.
Making matters worse for Miami, two of their three best players left the game and didn’t return to due to injury, starting guard Goran Dragic and All-Star big man Bam Adebayo. Jimmy Butler turned his left ankle in the game and came back to play but was quickly pulled in the 4th quarter after hobbling. Anthony Davis was the star of the night, finishing with 34 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. Meanwhile, LeBron had 25 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists. The Lakers also made and attempted more 3-pointers than the Heat on the night, something that was unexpected coming into the night, as the Lakers had at least five players hit multiple 3-pointers.
The Heat cut the lead to 13 in the 4th quarter but it was more likely due to the Lakers simply trying to play out the string with a huge lead without getting hurt. While we await Game 2 on Friday night, it’s clear the injury updates regarding Dragic and Adebayo loom large in the outlook of the rest of the series, no matter how badly the Lakers dispatched them on Wednesday night.
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