NBA: Heat wins playoff opener

MIAMI - Game on the line, a sold-out arena standing in anticipation.

Dwyane Wade relished those moments in 2006. And apparently still does.

Playing with five fouls yet attacking nonetheless, Wade scored five of his 17 points in the final 1:34 to help the Miami Heat hold off a huge comeback try by Philadelphia and beat the 76ers 97-89 on Saturday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

Chris Bosh scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while LeBron James finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds - making them the sixth and seventh players to record double-doubles in their Heat playoff debuts.

And the game wasn't decided until the final moments, when Wade came off the bench to take over at point guard and direct Miami to its first Game 1 victory since the 2006 Eastern Conference finals.

"I was just reading the game, getting off the ball a lot, just trying to read how they defended me so at that moment I thought I would get a little aggressive," Wade said.

Game 2 is Monday in Miami.

Philadelphia held the Heat scoreless for 4:37 of the fourth quarter and scored 12 straight points to close to 88-87, but never got the lead in the final minutes.

Bulls 104, Pacers 99

CHICAGO - Derrick Rose scored 39 points, Kyle Korver nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer and the top-seeded Bulls rallied from a late 10-point deficit to beat the Pacers in their playoff opener.

Trailing 98-88 late in the game, the Bulls showed the resolved that carried them to a league-best 62-20 record, outscoring Indiana 16-1 over the final 3:38.

Rose scored seven during that run, including a three-point play and a floater that tied it at 99 with 1:27 left. He then hit Korver with a crosscourt pass for a 3 that gave the Bulls their first lead at 102-99 with 48 seconds remaining.

Danny Granger missed a tying 3. Joakim Noah got the rebound, and Rose eventually hit two free throws with 14.8 seconds remaining. He was 19 of 21 from the line and had six assists and six rebounds in another strong performance.

Luol Deng added 18 points and Korver finished with 13.

Hawks 103, Magic 93

ORLANDO, Fla. - Joe Johnson scored 25 points, Jamal Crawford finished with 23 and the Hawks beat Orlando in Game 1 of their playoff series, overcoming a monster night by Magic star Dwight Howard.

Atlanta was eliminated by Orlando in last year's playoffs in the most lopsided four-game sweep in NBA history, but this one was much different. The Hawks led by as many as 18 points while running multiple bodies at Howard all night, and the rest of the Magic failed to step up.

Howard tied a career high with 46 points, to go along with 19 rebounds. Jameer Nelson had 27 but no other Orlando player reached double figures.

Game 2 is Tuesday night in Orlando.

Mavericks 89,

Trail Blazers 81

DALLAS - Dirk Nowitzki scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Dallas Mavericks defeated Portland Saturday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference first round series.

Even though Nowitzki struggled from the field most of the night, making only 7 of 20 shots, he came through when the Mavericks needed him most.

Nowitzki scored 12 consecutive points in the game-turning spurt in the closing minutes when Dallas tied the game and eventually went ahead to stay.

Jason Kidd added 24 points, including a playoff career-best six 3-pointers.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points for Portland and Andre Miller had 18.

Dallas, the No. 3 Western Conference seed, survived in Game 1 against a fiesty bunch of Trail Blazers who have become a chic pick for a first-round playoff upset. Partly because the Mavericks have been knocked out in the first round three of the last four years since taking a 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA Finals.

Game 2 is Tuesday night in Dallas.