Spurs notch best start in dozen years

Tim Duncan scored a season-high 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to their fifth straight win, 88-80 over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night at Philadelphia.

Allen Iverson scored 24 for the Sixers, who set a dubious team record by scoring six points in the first quarter.

Rasho Nesterovic had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili scored 17 for San Antonio, which had lost four in a row in Philadelphia. The Spurs improved to 7-1, their best start since the 1991-92 season.

Knicks 93, Rockets 92: Jamal Crawford banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer as New York edged Houston for its first road win of the season.

Crawford finished 5 of 11 on 3-pointers to help hand the Rockets their fourth loss in five games.

Cavaliers 106, Bobcats 89: LeBron James had three resounding dunks and scored 19 points in Cleveland’s win over Charlotte at Charlotte, N.C.

It was the fifth consecutive victory for the Cavaliers and moved them two games better than .500 for the first time since 1999. The Bobcats lost their fifth straight.

Another bad break for Bender

Indiana Pacers forward Jonathan Bender’s chronically injured left knee has taken yet another turn for the worse. Bender will be out indefinitely to allow scar tissue to heal, the latest in a series of injuries.