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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Payton Lifts Sonics By Rockets

Associated Press

So what if Gary Payton has a broken ring finger on his left hand? He’s refusing to let the injury stop him from helping the Seattle SuperSonics win as many regular-season games as possible.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Shawn Kemp said after watching his teammate lead the Sonics to a 111-101 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night in Seattle’s final regular-season home game.

“Sometimes guys play better when they get hurt because it improves their concentration. And seeing a guy play like that is inspiring to us all because you know he’s playing through some pain,” Kemp added.

Payton, who was injured April 13 against Dallas in Tacoma, was his All-Star self. He was 9 for 19 from the field and had seven assists and two steals.

Payton has chosen to play with his injury although doctors have recommended surgery.

Kemp may not have been surprised by Payton’s play, but Nate McMillan was.

“To play like he has with a finger like that is amazing,” McMillan said. “It’s got to be causing him a lot of problems. You’d never know it by the way he’s playing, though.”

A Tacoma Dome sellout crowd of 18,056 watched the Sonics sweep Houston for the first time in a fourgame season series since 1977-78.

Hakeem Olajuwon led the defending NBA champion Rockets with 26 points, and he had five blocked shots and eight rebounds. Last season’s NBA MVP averaged 23 points in three games against Seattle this season, but the Sonics won them all.

The Rockets said they have played poorly against all the Western Conference’s top contenders. Nevertheless, they’re not worried.

“The playoffs are totally different,” Olajuwon said. “Some teams tighten up and some teams get loose. I’m not concerned.”

Kemp sustained a right thigh contusion, but still managed eight points and 13 rebounds in 29 minutes as Seattle outrebounded the Rockets 54-41. Detlef Schrempf, the Sonics’ third All-Star along with Payton and Kemp, had 21 points.

Sonics center Ervin Johnson had four blocked shots in the second half.

Kemp said his thigh injury wasn’t serious.

“I don’t know when I got hurt,” he said. “But when I sat down in the fourth quarter, it tightened up on me.”

The Sonics, who were behind by 12 points twice in the opening half, led 81-76 going into the final quarter and broke the game open early in the fourth period.

Sam Perkins opened the final period with a 10-foot jumper, but Schrempf made a 3-pointer, and Vincent Askew’s basket gave Seattle an 88-76 lead 3:14 into the quarter.

After two free throws by Nate McMillan with 7:29 left and a free throw by Johnson with 7:13 to go, the Sonics were ahead 93-79.

Broadcaster dies

Jimmy Jones, a pioneer in TV sports broadcasting in Portland, Ore., and once the voice of the Portland and Seattle NBA teams, died at his home Thursday in Bellevue. He was 63.

Jones had a history of heart problems dating to 1975, when he suffered a seizure on Super Bowl Sunday while in Phoenix on a road trip with the Portland Trail Blazers.

In recent years, Jones had worked as a TV play-by-play announcer for Prime Sports. His last telecast occurred Sunday in Corvallis, when he announced a baseball game between Oregon State and the University of Portland.

Jones started at KPTV television in 1960, eight years after Portland’s first TV station went on the air. During his career of more 20 years at the station, he served as sports director and became one of Oregon’s most familiar sports broadcasters.

Jones was an all-city fullback at Grant High School in Portland, and football three years at Oregon.

SuperSonics 111, Rockets 101

FG FT Reb HOUSTON Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts Chilcutt 29 1-3 0-1 2-5 0 1 2 Horry 24 2-6 3-4 0-3 0 3 7 Olajuwon 35 10-20 6-8 2-8 3 5 26 Drexler 40 5-12 7-8 1-5 2 2 17 Smith 19 2-4 0-2 0-2 3 2 4 Brown 7 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 1 0 Maxwell 33 5-12 2-2 0-5 3 5 17 Elie 22 2-5 1-2 1-4 3 4 7 Cassell 28 6-13 2-2 1-5 4 6 15 Murray 2 2-4 0-0 0-0 0 0 6 Tabak 1 0-0 0-0 2-3 0 0 0 Totals 240 35-80 21-29 9-41 18 29 101

Percentages: FG .438, FT .724.

3-Point Goals: 10-31, .323 (Maxwell 5-10, Elie 2-4, Murray 2-4, Cassell 1-4, Smith 0-2, Horry 0-2, Chilcutt 0-2, Drexler 0-3).

Team Rebounds: 9.

Blocked shots: 7 (Olajuwon 5, Horry, Cassell).

Turnovers: 18 (Olajuwon 3, Chilcutt 3, Elie 3, Horry 2, Cassell 2, Tabak 2, Maxwell, Smith, Drexler).

Steals: 9 (Drexler 3, Smith 2, Cassell 2, Elie, Olajuwon).

Technical foul: Drexler, 5:39 fourth,

Illegal defense: None.

FG FT Reb SEATTLE Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts Kemp 29 2-9 4-6 5-13 2 3 8 Schrempf 29 7-12 6-7 2-9 0 2 21 Johnson 21 1-3 3-4 3-8 0 4 5 Gill 29 3-12 3-6 2-5 3 3 9 Payton 38 9-19 6-6 1-5 7 3 25 Perkins 31 7-13 2-2 3-8 1 2 18 McMillan 23 1-5 2-4 1-4 5 1 4 Askew 28 4-9 6-6 1-2 3 3 14 Marciulionis 10 3-5 0-0 0-0 0 0 7 Houston 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Scheffler 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 240 37-87 32-41 18-54 21 21 111

Percentages: FG .425, FT .780.

3-Point Goals: 5-20, .250 (Perkins 2-5, Marciulionis 1-2, Schrempf 1-3, Payton 1-4, Askew 0-2, Gill 0-4).

Team Rebounds: 8.

Blocked shots: 7 (Johnson 4, Kemp, Perkins, McMillan).

Turnovers: 15 (Schrempf 3, Gill 3, Johnson 2, Payton 2, Askew 2, Perkins, McMillan, Marciulionis).

Steals: 13 (Gill 3, McMillan 3, Payton 2, Kemp, Schrempf, Johnson, Askew, Scheffler).

Technical fouls: Payton, 2:12 second; Askew, 5:39 fourth.

Illegal defense: 1. Houston 33 28 15 25 - 101 Seattle 23 26 32 30 - 111

A-18,056 (16,296). T-2:15.

Officials-Jess Kersey, Bernie Fryer, Ronnie Nunn.