OKLAHOMA CITYâ€"LeBron James put on the best performance he's ever had in three trips to the NBA Finals.
It will take more from the rest of Miami's Big Three for the Heat to get past the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combined to go 11-for-30 from the field in Miami's 105-94 loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night, totaling 29 points to go with the 30 put up by James.
It wasn't enough as the Thunder's trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden teamed up for 68 points and stormed back from 13 points down to defeat the Heat in Game 1.
The Heat did get significant scoring contributions from Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers, but 23 of their 29 points came in the first half when Miami was in control.
James had 16 of Miami's 40 points in the second half, and Wade finally came alive after Oklahoma City's lead ballooned to double digits in the final period. By then, it was too late.
The Heat will try to recover Thursday night in Game 2, also in Oklahoma City.
After shooting 51 percent in the first half -- and making six of 10 attempts from 3-point range -- not much came easy for the Heat after halftime. The Thunder held Miami to 40 percent shooting and forced seven turnovers that contributed to an 11-0 scoring advantage on the fast break.
Battier and Chalmers, who were 9 for 12 overall and connected on five 3-pointers in the first half, attempted only four shots in the second as Miami's lead disappeared.
Bosh has been easing his way back from an abdominal injury that caused him to miss nine games between the Eastern Conference semifinals and finals. He played 34 minutes -- his most since the injury -- but missed seven of 11 shots and had 10 points and five rebounds.
Coach Erik Spoelstra opted to continue bringing Bosh off the bench for the fourth straight game, after he had started every game he played before the injury. It seemed to be a good move when Miami got out to a strong start, but Bosh couldn't provide any spark in the third quarter as Oklahoma City was quickly erasing a seven-point halftime deficit.
Wade was 7-for-19 from the field and had eight assists.
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