The Miami Heat have struck first in the NBA finals.
LeBron James scored 24 points for his first win in five finals-game appearances, Dwyane Wade added 22 points and 10 rebounds and the Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks 92-84 in Game 1 of the title series Tuesday night. The Heat trailed by eight points early in the third quarter before pulling away.
Chris Bosh scored 19 points and Mario Chalmers added 12 for Miami, which hosts Game 2 on Thursday night.
Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and eight rebounds for Dallas, which got 16 points from Shawn Marion and 12 from Jason Terry. It was Dallas' fifth straight loss to Miami in finals games, going back to the Heat's rally for the 2006 crown.
