Kevin Durant won round one of his highly anticipated match-up with LeBron James, scoring 36 points to lead the Oklahoma Thunder to a 105-94 victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday in the opening game of the NBA Finals.
Durant, the NBA's scoring champion, hit 12 of 20 shots and added eight rebounds to help the Thunder overcome a seven-point halftime deficit. Point guard Russell Westbrook scored 27 points and had eight rebounds and 11 assists for Oklahoma City.
Three-time MVP James scored 30 points on 11 of 24 shooting while adding nine rebounds but it was Durant who triggered the Thunder's 18-point turnaround in the second half.
Miami led by as many as 13 in the opening half but fell apart in the third quarter and when Westbrook made a three-point play late in the period to give the Thunder their first lead at 74-73 the raucous Chesapeake Energy Arena erupted.
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