Sixteen-time All-Star LeBron James, competing in his 50th NBA Finals game, scored 25 points with 13 rebounds and nine assists.

Sixteen-time All-Star LeBron James, competing in his 50th NBA Finals game, scored 25 points with 13 rebounds and nine assists.

Sixteen-time All-Star LeBron James, competing in his 50th NBA Finals game, scored 25 points with 13 rebounds and nine assists.

Heavy favourites Los Angeles Lakers overcame a sluggish start to dismantle the Miami Heat 116-98 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday.

The Heat got a 13-point leg up in the first quarter but the lead was shortlived, as the Lakers drained 11 three-pointers to complete a 30-point turnaround and close out the first half, while Miami's defence evaporated inside the NBA's quarantined Orlando, Florida, campus.

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The Lakers kept the pressure up as two of the Heat's biggest playmakers - point guard Goran Dragic and forward Bam Adebayo - exited the game with injuries. Dragic, Miami's leading scorer in the post-season, suffered a foot injury in the second quarter, while Adebayo left in the third with a shoulder strain after twice colliding with Lakers center Dwight Howard.

Sixteen-time All-Star LeBron James, competing in his 50th NBA Finals game, scored 25 points with 13 rebounds and nine assists.