James scored 20 points in the second half against the Wizards

LeBron James scored 32 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers opened the NBA play-offs by beating Washington 93-86.

Superstar James was criticised for under-performing in last year's NBA finals series defeat to San Antonio.

He responded with 20 points in the second half to take the defending Eastern Conference champions 1-0 up in the best-of-seven series.

After an 82-game regular season, 16 of the league's 30 teams contest the first round of the play-offs.

Cleveland are the fourth seed in the East, where the Boston Celtics are the highest rated team.

Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili produced dramatic shots to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 117-115 double overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Duncan sank his first three-pointer of the season to force a second overtime and Ginobili delivered the game-winner on a layup with 1.8 seconds remaining.

The Utah Jazz claimed a fiery 93-82 victory over the Houston Rockets to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round match.

Andrei Kirilenko led Utah with 21 points while Carlos Boozer scored 20 and grabbed 16 rebounds.

In New Orleans, Chris Paul had 35 points and 10 assists lifting New Orleans to a 104-92 victory over Dallas.

The LA Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Spanish star Pau Gasol, are the top seeds in the Western Conference, with defending NBA champs the Spurs seeded third.