2014 NBA playoff schedule: Heat, Spurs look to go up 2-0

The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs both walloped their competition to start the second round, and the defending conference champions will go for repeat performances on Thursday night. The Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers will try to stop them and wrestle away home-court advantage.

The Nets may have won all four regular-season meetings, but that mattered very little in Game 1, as the Heat dominated the second half to cruise to a 107-86 victory. After a tight first half, Miami kicked into an extra gear and used a hyper-efficient offense to run away from Brooklyn. The Heat shot 56.8 percent overall and got really nice balance on offense, with LeBron James leading the five players in double figures with 22 points. Ray Allen found his stroke after a quiet opening round, pouring in 19 points off the bench. And Shane Battier, who only played two minutes against the Charlotte Bobcats, started and made his presence felt with 8 points on 3-of-5 shooting. Chris Andersen did exit with a knee injury in the second half, but he's expected to play on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Nets got very little from Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Pierce had eight points, with most of that coming in the early-going. Garnett tossed up a goose egg in 16 minutes, marking the first time the veteran hasn't scored in a playoff game. Joe Johnson and Deron Williams both shot well and had 17 points, but Brooklyn needs more from their wily veterans in Game 2.

The Spurs made quick work of the Blazers in Game 1, putting together a nearly flawless performance in a 116-92 victory. San Antonio jumped out to a quick 13-point lead after one and extended that lead to 26 at halftime before cruising the rest of the way. Tony Parker was the catalyst, scoring 33 points and handing out nine assists. The Spurs also got huge contributions from their reserves, with Marco Belinelli scoring 19 of their 50 bench points.

LaMarcus Aldridge shook off a slow start to finish with 32 points and 14 rebounds for Portland. Damian Lillard had 17 points, but he shot just 6-of-15 and turned the ball over six times. After a dynamite opening series, Lillard came out a bit passive and was severely outplayed by Parker, which was a big reason why the game got out of hand early. Even though the game was essentially already decided by halftime, getting Lillard and Aldridge going late could bode well for the Trail Blazers in Game 2.