Bucking a lethargic start, the Los Angeles Lakers shredded the Miami Heat to pieces, 116-98, to draw first blood in the NBA Finals on Wednesday, September 30 (Thursday, October 1, Manila time).

Anthony Davis fired from all cylinders and finished with 34 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals as the Lakers erased a 13-point first-quarter deficit to deal the Heat their worst loss in this playoffs.

“We kind of picked it up on both ends of the floor,” said Davis, who now ranks only behind Shaquille O’Neal (43) and George Mikan (42) for most points in an NBA Finals debut in Lakers history.

The Lakers trailed 10-23 with 6 minutes left in the opening quarter before turning the tides and outscoring the Heat, 55-25, for the rest of the second half for a 65-48 halftime lead.

With Goran Dragic (foot) and Bam Adebayo (shoulder) leaving the court for good due to their injuries, the Heat never recovered and got buried by as much as 32 points.

LeBron James backstopped Davis with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists, marking his ninth NBA Finals appearance over the last 10 years just a dime short of his 28th playoff triple-double.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made his presence felt in the win with 13 points as he knocked down back-to-back three-pointers in the maiden period that sparked the Lakers’ turnaround.

“[Caldwell-Pope] saved us. He hit them two big threes in the first quarter and got us going,” Davis said.

Danny Green had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals for the Lakers, while Alex Caruso chimed in 10 points.

Jimmy Butler delivered 23 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals to lead the Heat, whose cold shooting and injury woes created a recipe for disaster for their worst loss in this postseason.

Prior to Game 1 against the Lakers, the Heat never lost by more than 13 points in their 3 previous playoff defeats.

Kendrick Nunn fired 18 points off the bench as a replacement for Dragic, while Tyler Herro added 14 points. – Rappler.com