James leads the way
Bobcats crack as they lose 5th in row
LeBron James helped break the game open late in the second quarter by driving the baseline for a windmill dunk, one of three crowd-pleasers among James's 19 points in Cleveland's 106-89 victory last night at Charlotte, N.C. It was the fifth consecutive victory for the Cavaliers and moved them two games over .500 for the first time since 1999.
The Bobcats lost their fifth straight, and
Gerald Wallace, who committed a flagrant foul against James at the start of the third quarter, was called for a second flagrant as he attempted to block Drew Gooden's shot with 8:35 to play in the third.
Charlotte coach Bernie Bickerstaff, who has complained about the lack of respect the Bobcats receive from officials, stormed onto the court in protest.
He was immediately hit with a technical foul, and when Wallace lost his cool and the assistant coaches had to focus on him, Bickerstaff got loose under the basket to continue his rant. He, too, was ejected.
Spurs 88, 76ers 80 -- Tim Duncan scored a season-high 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead visiting San Antonio to its fifth straight win. Allen Iverson scored 24 points, Kyle Korver had 17, and Corliss Williamson added 15 for the Sixers, who set a team record by scoring just 6 points in the first quarter.
Rasho Nesterovic had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Manu Ginobili scored 17 points for San Antonio, which had lost four in a row in Philadelphia since winning Nov. 22, 1999. The Spurs improved to 7-1, their best start since the 1991-92 season.
The Sixers, who trailed by 14 in the first half, took their first lead, 55-53, on a 3-pointer by Korver with 3:14 left in the third. Philadelphia held the lead until the Spurs went on a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter.
Knicks 93, Rockets 92 -- Jamal Crawford banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send New York to its first road win of the season. Crawford finished with 19 points, going 5 of 11 from the 3-point arc, and Kurt Thomas added 23 points and 14 rebounds to hand the Rockets their fourth loss in five games.
New York came back from an 11-point deficit to start the fourth quarter, getting plenty of clutch baskets from Crawford and Thomas down the stretch.
The Knicks opened the quarter by scoring the first 11 points to tie the score at 72, getting back-to-back threes from Penny Hardaway. Houston was ahead, 92-88, with 41.4 seconds left after Maurice Taylor's basket. . . .
In late games Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers got 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 11 assists from Kobe Bryant as they beat the crosstown rival Clippers, 103-89; and Golden State kept Chicago winless, 98-85.
