The Oklahoma City Thunder took Game 1 of the NBA Finals with a 105-94 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. The Heat went cold on offense in the second half, putting just 19 points on the board in the third quarter and then following that up with a 21-point fourth quarter.
Oklahoma City did not lead until 16 seconds remaining in the third quarter, but they never looked back in the fourth thanks to an incredible final 12 minutes from Kevin Durant. The Thunder leader scored 17 points in the last frame to push OKC ahead with a comfortable cushion over the final two minutes. While Russell Westbrook did the work to bring them even in the third, it was Durant who came on and closed. Durant finished with 36 points while Westbrook added 27.
LeBron James led Miami with 30 points, a new career-high in the Finals. He had a solid if not spectacular game, hitting 11 of 24 from the field. Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers provided a spark in the first half, but Miami could not get much offense from anyone other than James during the second half. Dwyane Wade came on late but finished with just 19 points.
The Heat will now try to even the series and take Game 2 on Thursday night.
Stick with this StoryStream for all your news throughout the 2012 NBA Finals. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier. For the opponent's perspective throughout the series, visit Welcome To Loud City and SB Nation Kansas City. For all your Finals analysis, visit SB Nation's NBA hub.