LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined for an efficient 48 points and the Miami Heat pulled away from the pesky Charlotte Bobcats for a 99-88 victory on Sunday in the opener of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
James made four of Miami's 11 3-pointers and finished with 27 points and nine rebounds while Wade added 23 points and five assists for the two-time defending champs.
The duo shot 18-of-32 (56.3 percent) from the field, and Miami received key contributions off the bench from James Jones and Chris Andersen, with Jones chipping in 12 points and Andersen adding eight points and 10 rebounds while limiting Al Jefferson on the defensive side.
Jefferson, Charlotte's most consistent offensive threat in the regular season, started strong but was hobbled after suffering a strain to his left plantar fascia in the first quarter. He still logged 18 points and 10 rebounds while Kemba Walker's 20-point effort led the club.
[SportsNetwork.com]
