NEW YORK — The four-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs stormed to a franchise-best 4-0 start to the season after routing the Indiana Pacers 101-79 Monday. Reserve Gary Neal led five Spurs in double figures with 17 points, while Tim Duncan got a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds to lift the team to the win. Despite winning four NBA championships between 1999 and 2007, the Spurs had never won their first four regular season games. “It's just a stat, it's not that important in the long term,” San Antonio veteran Manu Ginobili told reporters. George Hill and Paul George had 15 and 14 points respectively, but Indiana shot just 34 percent from the field. The Spurs' bench scored 57 points and the team moved the ball around to the tune of 25 assists. Miami 124, Phoenix 99: LeBron James scored 23 points and Dwyane Wade added 22 to spark the reigning NBA champion Miami Heat over Phoenix 124-99 Monday, stretching their win streak to three games. Chris Bosh added 18 points — all in the first half — for the Heat, who lost their opener to the New York Knicks but improved to 3-1 on the season. James also pulled down 11 rebounds, while Ray Allen came off the bench to produce 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. The Suns, who suffered their third loss in four games, were led by reserve Shannon Brown's 18 points and 15 from Argentina's Luis Scola. Knicks 110, Sixers 88: Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points and JR Smith had 17 to lead the New York Knicks to a 110-88 win over the Philadelphia 76ers Monday. Raymond Felton scored 16 points and Tyson Chandler had 14 to lead the Knicks to their first 3-0 start since the 1999-2000 season. The Knicks beat the Sixers 100-84 Sunday in the opener of the home-and-home series. Timberwolves 107, Nets 96: At New York, rookie guard Alexey Shved and Chase Budinger led a furious rally from 22 points down, and Minnesota stunned Brooklyn. Shved made the go-ahead basket with 2:35 remaining and had a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter after going scoreless for the first three. The Timberwolves scored the final 11 points in an impressive rally on the second night of back-to-back games. Seemingly out of the game early in the second half, they overwhelmed the Nets in the fourth quarter with a brilliant effort from their bench. Mavericks 114, Trail Blazers 91: At Dallas, O.J. Mayo scored 32 points, his second consecutive 30-point game at home, and Dallas used a fourth-quarter surge to beat Portland. Mayo, one of a trio of Mavericks newcomers who scored in double figures, made six 3-pointers and capped his night with a running dunk with 1:18 left. He scored 30 in the home opener two nights earlier. Chris Kaman had 16 points, and Darren Collison had 14 points and 13 assists for the Mavericks. In other games it was: Sacramento 94, Golden State 92; Cleveland 108, LA Clippers 101; Memphis 103, Utah 94. — Agencies
