MIAMI (AP) -- The Miami Heat have struck first in the NBA finals.

LeBron James scored 24 points for his first win in five finals-game appearances, Dwyane Wade added 22 points and 10 rebounds and the Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks 92-84 in Game 1 of the title series Tuesday night. The Heat trailed by eight points early in the third quarter before pulling away.

Chris Bosh scored 19 points and Mario Chalmers added 12 for Miami, which hosts Game 2 on Thursday night.

Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and eight rebounds for Dallas, which got 16 points from Shawn Marion and 12 from Jason Terry. It was Dallas' fifth straight loss to Miami in finals games, going back to the Heat's rally for the 2006 crown.

Jason Terry slipped past LeBron James and into some free space along the baseline. He had a good look at the basket from about 18 feet -- and his shot didn't even come close to going in.

Terry clanged a 3-pointer from the other side the next time down court. Then Dirk Nowitzki missed a shot he normally makes.

Late in the fourth quarter, with Game 1 of the NBA finals starting to slip away, the guys Dallas rely on most had their chances to keep things close but couldn't do it.

When Shawn Marion got a shot blocked and knocked it out of bounds, Dwyane Wade walked up the court and swished a 3-pointer over Jason Kidd with 3:06 left, the Miami Heat were well on their way to a 92-84 victory Tuesday night that ended Dallas' five-game road winning streak this postseason.