SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Tim Duncan had 28 points and 13 rebounds and Vince Carter sat out the second half with a bruised right calf Wednesday night as the San Antonio Spurs cruised past the Toronto Raptors, 108-95, for their fifth straight win.
Duncan and Carter converged at last season's All-Star Game, when Carter soared to partially block Duncan's potential game-winning shot in a fantastic finish to the mid-season affair.
There was not much of a showdown in this one. Carter, second in the NBA in scoring at 27 points per game, got off to a slow start as the Spurs took the lead for good in the second quarter.
With one minute left in the half, Carter departed with an injury he appeared to suffer in an an earlier sequence. He did not return and his teammates had no answer for Duncan, who scored 13 points in the third quarter while San Antonio was breaking it open.
Steve Smith scored 17 points for the Spurs, who improved to 10-1 at home and 15-4 overall, the best start in franchise history.
