Heat take Game 1 vs. Nets

LeBron James scored 22 points, Ray Allen added 19, and the Miami Heat stayed perfect in this postseason by beating the visiting Brooklyn Nets, 107-86, on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Chris Bosh scored 15 points, Dwyane Wade added 14, and Mario Chalmers had 12 for Miami, which was 0-4 against the Nets in the regular season.

A 24-9 run in the third quarter blew things open for the Heat.

Deron Williams and Joe Johnson scored 17 points each for the Nets, who got only eight from Paul Pierce and no points from Kevin Garnett in 16 minutes.

The Golden State Warriors fired Mark Jackson, ending the franchise's most successful coaching tenure in the last two decades but one filled with drama.

General manager Bob Myers said in a statement that it was a difficult decision but that the Warriors "simply feel it's best to move in a different direction."

The Warriors went 47-35 last season and reached the second round of the playoffs. They were 51-31 this season before losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.

While reports of rifts within the team surfaced on occasion, dismissing two assistants in a 12-day stretch before the playoffs perpetuated the idea that Jackson had fostered an environment of dysfunction - which he repeatedly denied.

Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant won his first NBA MVP award.

The 6-foot-9 forward won his fourth scoring crown in five years by averaging 32 points per game. His run of 41 consecutive games with at least 25 points was the third-longest streak in NBA history.

He finished second to Miami's LeBron James the previous two years in voting by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters in the United States and Canada plus an NBA.com fan vote. This year, Durant finished with 119 first-place votes.

Clippers president Andy Roeser, 54, is taking an indefinite leave of absence while the NBA restructures the franchise after owner Donald Sterling's lifetime ban. The league announced plans last week to appoint a CEO to oversee the franchise in Sterling's absence.

Clippers 122, Thunder 105 - Chris Paul made a career-high eight three-pointers and scored 32 points Monday night to help Los Angeles beat host Oklahoma City in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

The Toronto Raptors announced a three-year contract extension for coach Dwane Casey, 57, whose team won a franchise-best 48 games this season.

- Associated Press