CLEVELAND (AP) - Kyrie Irving scored 30 points in his playoff debut, LeBron James added 20 in his first postseason game with Cleveland in five years and the Cavaliers opened a run toward an NBA title with a 113-100 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
Irving made five 3-pointers and Kevin Love, another postseason rookie, had 19 points and 12 rebounds.
It was Cleveland's first home playoff game since May 11, 2010, when the Celtics won Game 5 and James left the floor to some boos from Cavaliers fans. He departed for Miami two months later, but he's home now, all is forgiven and Cleveland is aiming to end a championship drought dating to 1964.
Isaiah Thomas scored 22 points to lead the seventh-seeded Celtics. They will try to even the best-of-7 series in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
The Cavs built a 20-point lead in the third quarter, let the Celtics get as close as six and then finished the quarter with a 9-0 run - capped by a 3-pointer by James Jones - to take a 15-point lead. Boston climbed within 10, but Love made a crucial 3-pointer with 3:32 left to slow Boston.
CLIPPERS 107, SPURS 92
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Chris Paul scored 32 points, Blake Griffin added 26 points and 12 rebounds, and Los Angeles surged in the second half to beat San Antonio in their first-round playoff series opener.
Jamal Crawford added 17 points for the Clippers, who met the defending NBA champions' challenge in a difficult postseason-opening matchup for two powers. Griffin threw down his usual array of roof-raising dunks, while Paul quarterbacked Los Angeles to an 18-point lead in the third quarter.
Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points for the Spurs, who had won the opening game in their previous 11 playoff series. Tim Duncan had 11 points and 11 rebounds, but the Spurs couldn't rally from their hefty second-half deficit.
Game 2 is Wednesday night.
HAWKS 99, NETS 92
ATLANTA (AP) - Kyle Korver scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, and the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks held off the Brooklyn Nets 99-92 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoff series Sunday night.
The Hawks led nearly the entire game and pushed the margin as high as 16 points, but the Nets kept coming back. Finally, Jeff Teague dropped in a floater coming off the left wing, giving Atlanta a 95-89 lead. Joe Johnson missed a 3-pointer from the corner for Brooklyn, and Teague made a pair of free throws with just under a minute remaining to essentially seal it.
Teague and DeMarre Carroll scored 17 points apiece.
Eighth-seeded Brooklyn finished 22 games behind the Hawks and slipped into the playoffs on the final day. But, with Johnson and Brook Lopez each scoring 17 points, they didn't look overmatched by a team that won the season series 4-0 and earned a No. 1 seed for the first time since 1994.
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Atlanta.
GRIZZLIES 100, TRAIL BLAZERS 86
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Reserve Beno Udrih scored 20 points and Memphis never trailed in routing Portland in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round series.
Zach Randolph had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Marc Gasol added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Mike Conley finished with 16 points and didn't play the fourth quarter. Jeff Green had 11.
LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 32 points while taking more shots than anyone had ever taken against Memphis in the postseason, going 13 of 34. Damian Lillard added 14 points, shooting 5 of 21 overall and 0 of 6 beyond the arc. Nicolas Batum had 15 points. The Trail Blazers have lost five straight overall.
The Grizzlies swept Portland during the regular season and have won 10 of the last 11, including the first playoff game between the teams.
Game 2 is Wednesday night.