THE FACTS: Brandon Jennings felt the Milwaukee Bucks matched up well against the Miami Heat. If Sunday was any indication, Jennings was dead wrong. The Heat cruised to a 110-87 victory in Game 1 of the first-round series in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Heat led by double-figures most of the way behind yet another strong effort from LeBron James. James finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Guard Ray Allen scored 20 points off the bench while Dwyane Wade added 16 points and five assists. The Heat started fast by jumping to an early nine-point lead. The Bucks, behind Jennings, rallied late in the first quarter and trailed by just seven at halftime. The start of the third quarter is when the Heat turned it on. The Heat led by as many as 25 point in the second half. Miami finished with five players in double-figures, with center Chris Bosh scoring 15 and reserve Chris Andersen 10. Jennings led the Bucks with 26 points. QUOTABLE: "We know we can play a better game. We didn't play our best game. We didn't shoot the ball like we're capable of doing from the outside. But the one thing that we did do was we shared the ball once again. We had 22 assists and we rebounded the ball, too. -- James THE STAT: The Heat held the Bucks to 41 percent shooting from the field. Just three Bucks players shot higher than 50 percent. TURNING POINT: The Bucks pulled to within 52-48, but the Heat responded with a 9-0 run. Miami led by double-digits the remainder of the game. QUOTABLE II: "They came out in the second half on a mission. They picked their intensity up and we fell short a little bit. They played with a lot of intensity tonight on both ends. They attack on the defensive end and offensive end. We just have to attack and keep our composure. -- Bucks center Larry Sanders HOT: It's growing a little boring, but James inched a little closer to winning his fourth Most Valuable Player award in five years. He was 9-for-11 from the field while also playing some solid defense. NOT: J.J. Redick was acquired so he could provide a reliable shooting complement to the starting backcourt. He finished 1-for-5 from the field. The Bucks would probably like to see him get a few more looks. GOOD MOVE: The Heat continue to reap the benefits of the Andersen signing. He's easily been their best midseason acquisition in the last three years. He not only does it with effort, but he also energizes the arena. BAD MOVE: As talented as Jennings and Monta Ellis are, they need to find a way to get teammates involved. This could be a short series if they continue to take the bulk of the shots. They combined for just five assists. NOTABLE: After a week of debating, Spoelstra kept b in the starting lineup. There was a debate if it would be Shane Battier, who started most of last year's playoffs. ... Bucks starter Ersan Ilyasova was active despite being hampered with a sore wrist. ... The Heat improved to 38-4 at home. UP NEXT: Game 2, Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET) in Miami. Game 3, Thursday (7 p.m. ET) in Milwaukee.

• published: 23 Apr 2013
• views: 2465