Miami Heat

The final two NBA conference semifinals start play this evening with games in Miami and San Antonio.

Before the season started, a poll suggested that the Miami Heat were the overwhelming favorite to win the NBA title, collecting a whopping 76 percent of ballots cast.

Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao will play an NBA game back home in Brazil for the first time when Cleveland takes on the Miami Heat in an exhibition in October.

In Miami tonight, the Heat are playing host to the Brooklyn Nets.

This will be a busy night of play in the NBA as 12 games are on the agenda. San Antonio and Indiana, the two conference leaders, are in action tonight and can build on their conference leads.

There's no doubt about it, the marquee game of the night in the NBA is being played in Indianapolis as the Pacers face the Miami Heat.

The Indiana Pacers still lead the NBA's Eastern Conference by three games over Miami. And the Philadelphia 76ers still own a losing streak that's approaching NBA-record proportions.

LeBron James has tried out his new protective mask in practice and plans to use it Thursday when the Miami Heat play the New York Knicks.

Two of the NBA's heavyweights collide tonight when LeBron James and the Heat head into Los Angeles to take on Blake Griffin and the Clippers. Miami won the only previous meeting of the two division leaders this season, behind 29 points from Dwyane Wade in November. Miami has won five of six to top the Southeast Division heading into the first of six straight road games. The Clippers top the Pacifi

The Washington Wizards built a 34-point first-half lead and shot 55 percent in beating the two-time NBA champion Miami Heat 114-97. The victory moves the Wizards to 18-19.