The Boston Celtics started their NBA play-off campaign with a 114-94 win over the Miami Heat.
Jayson Tatum’s triple-double helped the top seeds to lead throughout against last season’s losing finalists.
The Heat entered the play-offs as the number eight seeds after beating the Chicago Bulls in a play-in eliminator.
But, without injured star player Jimmy Butler, the Heat found the Celtics too strong in the opener to the best-of-seven series.
Tatum scored 23 points, had 10 rebounds and provided 10 assists – and was one of six players to score double figures for Boston, but warned his side they “can’t relax” against the team which eliminated them from the play-offs last year.
“They’re not going to give up, they’re not going to lay down,” he said.
In Sunday’s other play-off ties, the Los Angeles Clippers host the Dallas Mavericks, while the Indiana Pacers visit the Milwaukee Bucks and the New Orleans Pelicans travel to face the Oklahoma City Thunder.
