Sonics Prefer Low Profile, Even After Routing Dallas

The Seattle SuperSonics are biding their time, waiting for the playoffs to atone for last season’s embarrassing first-round loss to the Denver Nuggets.

“We don’t want people talking about us right now,” guard Gary Payton said Saturday night after the Sonics routed Dallas 125-98 for their 14th victory in 16 games. “There was too much hype last year. We like it the way it is right now.”

Payton had 21 points, eight assists and four steals to lead a balanced Seattle attack. Detlef Schrempf scored 22 for the Sonics, while Shawn Kemp had 21 and Sam Perkins 20.

The Sonics broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Mavericks 43-23 while making 17 of 19 shots from the field. Kemp had 17 points and five dunks in the period.

“You’ve got to take what they give you,” said Kemp, who finished 10 of 13 from the field with 12 rebounds.

Perkins said Seattle’s defense was the key in the decisive third period.

“Our defense really came alive,” Perkins said. “We got our hands on some passes and were able to get out and run. Sometimes things can happen very quickly for us.”

The 43 points matched the most in the third period by a Dallas opponent, and the loss was the most lopsided for the Mavericks this season.

Lucious Harris scored a career-high 31 points for Dallas, which saw its five-game home winning streak snapped.

The Mavericks got only 12 points from leading scorer Jamal Mashburn and lost coach Dick Motta with 10:50 left in the third quarter when he got his second technical of the game. The ejection was Motta’s fourth of the season.

“We got hit by a buzz saw tonight,” Motta said. “They just whipped us. You have to give their defense a lot of credit. They’re so darned athletic.”

Masburn said the lopsided loss was embarrassing.

“They are a lot deeper than us,” he said. “I think they’re motivated to be the number one team in the West.”

Reserve George McCloud scored 15 points for Dallas, which had won 11 of its previous 14 games.

The loss was a setback for Dallas’ playoff hopes. The Mavericks are battling Sacramento and Denver for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

Cartwright on mend

Sonics center Bill Cartwright, who had bone spurs removed from his elbow and has been on the injured list since March 24, is just about ready to return.

“The flexibility and range of motion are back,” Cartwright said. “I just have to get the strength back.”

Karl the magician

Although Karl doesn’t profess to have the propensity for magic tricks like assistant Bob Weiss, he’s continuing to pull rabbits out of his hat.

Saturday night, Vince Askew returned from a nine-game absence with an inflamed plantar fasciaitis in his left foot, and Sarunas Marciulionis didn’t dress because of a sore and swollen right knee. That’s not to mention Kendall Gill still being out indefinitely with symptoms of depression that have caused him to miss the past three games.

“At least Vince was coming back,” Marciulionis said.

Nevertheless, the Sonics’ professed over-stocked shooting guard position is looking mighty thin, causing Karl to start his big lineup of Schrempf at shooting guard, along with Kemp, Perkins and Ervin Johnson up front for his 12th starting lineup of the season.

“I just have to go with what I’ve got and change by feel,” Karl said. “I don’t want to play Vince too many minutes either.”

Marciulionis, who had reconstructive surgery in his right knee that kept him out all of last season and played only 30 games because of a broken right leg and dislocated right ankle two seasons ago, considers it OK that he didn’t have a problem until the 74th game of this season.

“I don’t want to be stupid and really hurt it tonight,” Marciulionis said. “This way, I can get two days rest, get some treatment and be ready Tuesday.

SuperSonics 125, Mavericks 98

FG FT Reb SEATTLE Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts Perkins 35 7-12 3-5 2-6 3 3 20 Kemp 30 10-13 1-4 3-12 2 2 21 Johnson 31 5-6 5-6 1-12 0 5 15 Schrempf 32 8-13 4-4 2-4 6 2 22 Payton 34 10-19 0-0 2-3 8 3 21 McMillan 31 2-6 0-0 2-5 7 4 4 Askew 23 3-6 1-1 0-3 4 2 7 Houston 11 3-5 0-0 1-2 0 2 6 Wingfield 7 2-5 2-2 0-1 0 0 6 Scheffler 6 0-0 3-4 1-1 0 1 3 Totals 240 50-85 19-26 14-49 30 24 125

Percentages: FG .588, FT .731.

3-Point Goals: 6-14, .429 (Perkins 3-5, Schrempf 2-3, Payton 1-2, Kemp 0-1, McMillan 0-1, Askew 0-1, Wingfield 0-1).

Team Rebounds: 5

Blocked shots: 4 (Johnson 2, Kemp, Askew).

Turnovers: 16 (McMillan 4, Payton 3, Kemp 2, Schrempf 2, Askew 2, Perkins, Johnson, Wingfield).

Steals: 15 (McMillan 5, Payton 4, Perkins, Kemp, Johnson, Askew, Houston, Wingfield).

Technical fouls: None.

Illegal defense: 1.

FG FT Reb DALLAS Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts Mashburn 30 3-12 6-8 0-0 3 2 12 Jones 32 3-8 1-2 2-9 2 0 7 Williams 27 1-3 0-0 2-5 1 3 2 Kidd 29 2-10 4-4 3-5 10 1 9 Harris 29 11-14 2-2 1-3 1 2 31 Tarpley 11 1-5 0-0 0-0 0 1 2 Brooks 13 1-3 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 McCloud 21 5-8 2-2 1-3 6 3 15 Smith 12 0-3 3-4 0-0 0 1 3 Dumas 12 1-3 0-0 1-2 1 1 2 Hodge 12 3-7 5-6 1-6 1 2 11 Davis 12 1-2 0-0 0-1 1 3 2 Totals 240 32-78 23-28 11-34 27 20 98

Percentages: FG .410, FT .821.

3-Point Goals: 11-25, .440 (Harris 7-8, McCloud 3-4, Kidd 1-5, Dumas 0-1, Hodge 0-1, Brooks 0-2, Mashburn 0-4).

Team Rebounds: 5

Blocked shots: 3 (Williams 2, Jones).

Turnovers: 20 (Mashburn 4, Harris 4, Tarpley 4, Kidd 3, Dumas 2, Jones, Williams, Brooks).

Technical fouls: Coach Motta, :24, second; Coach Motta, 10:51, third.

Ejections: Coach Motta, 10:51, third.

Illegal defense: 1. Seattle 28 26 43 28 - 125 Dallas 27 19 23 29 - 98

A-17,505 (17,502). T-2:00.

Officials-Bennett Salvatore, Terry Durham, Bill Spooner.