Sports round-up

BASKETBALL, NBA: LeBron James scored the game-winning points in the dying embers of overtime as the Miami Heat held off a determined Indiana Pacers 103-102 in a thrilling Eastern Conference Finals opener on Wednesday. If broadcasters were concerned that another easy series win for Miami would further damage ratings, they got the perfect antidote with the Pacers pushing the Heat all the way and raising the prospect of a tight best-of-seven set.

RUGBY UNION: Pacy London Wasps wing Christian Wade underlined his status as one of the most promising prospects in English rugby by scooping the Rugby Players’ Association player of the year and young player of the year awards. The 22-year-old finished joint top try scorer in the Premiership this season along-side Wasps team mate Tom Varndell with 13 tries. It is the first time the two awards, voted by fellow Premiership players, have been won by the same person in the same year.

GIRO D’ITALIA: Overall leader Vincenzo Nibali won stage 18 of the Giro d’Italia yesterday, an individual time trial from Mori to Polsa, to increase his advantage over all his rivals. Spain’s Samuel Sanchez finished second, 58 seconds back, on the 20.6 kilometre uphill time trial, with Italy’s Damiano Caruso in third. Italy’s Nibali now leads Australian Cadel Evans by more than four minutes in the overall standings, with Colom-bia's Rigoberto Uran in third. The Giro d’Italia finishes on Sunday in Brescia.