Sonics Unlock Key Win Beat Nuggets, 99-83, To Improve To 12-1 At Home

Hersey Hawkins is beginning to fit in in Seattle.

“All in all, I think I know where I’m going to get my shots within the system now,” Hawkins said Wednesday night after scoring 24 points to lead the SuperSonics to a 99-83 victory over Denver in Key Arena.

Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, the Sonics’ two All-Stars, each scored 22 points as Seattle raised its home record to 12-1.

Hawkins is averaging 14.5 points in his first season in Seattle after being acquired in a trade with Charlotte for Kendall Gill. He made 10 of 20 shots to lead the Sonics in scoring for the fifth time.

Hawkins was only 1 for 5 from 3-point range and is shooting only 33 percent from behind the arc. He came into the season shooting 40 percent in career 3-point attempts.

“I’m still not happy with the way I’m shooting and I really don’t know why, but I’m sure it’s going to come,” he said.

In a battle of the NBA’s top two rebounders, Kemp outrebounded Denver’s Dikembe Mutombo 16-14. Kemp is averaging 12.5 rebounds a game and Mutombo 12.4.

“Dikembe is a big man,” Kemp said. “So it’s not going to happen a whole lot. But when it does, it just lets you know that you’re working hard to get position. It lets you know you’re going in the right direction.”

The 7-foot-2 Mutombo, who had nine points and leads the league in blocked shots, had five blocks, but none came in the final quarter.

“He’s an intimidating force in there,” Hawkins said. “You just have to get in the lane and throw those runners up before he gets there.”

Payton also had six assists and three steals, and the Sonics committed a season-low 10 turnovers. Seattle forced the Nuggets to turn the ball over 23 times, Denver’s season high.

Mutombo, whose defense led the Nuggets to their first-round playoff victory over the Sonics two years ago, said the turnovers by Denver was why the Nuggets lost.

“When you give a team that many turnovers, there’s no way you’re going to win,” he said. “A lot of our turnovers were caused by a lack of concentration. Because of our impatience, we gave the game away.”

Dale Ellis scored 19 points and rookie Antonio McDyess had 17 for the Nuggets. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who was averaging 20.9 points coming into the game, was held to 13, mainly by Nate McMillan. He was 5-for-16 shooting, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range.

Abdul-Rauf and Bryant Stith, Denver’s top two scorers, were a combined 7-for-23 from the floor.”We didn’t shoot the ball well (46 percent), but we played defense and took their shooters out of the game,” Payton said.

After Abdul-Rauf made a 3-pointer with 9:11 to go, Seattle led 76-74. Then the Sonics pulled steadily away.

With Abdul-Rauf and Jalen Rose double-teaming, Payton managed to drive to the basket and connect off the glass with 8:58 left. After Abdul-Rauf was called for an offensive foul, McMillan sank a 3-pointer for an 81-74 Sonics’ lead with 7:20 left. McMillan missed his first five shots from the field.

Bryant Stith of the Nuggets made a 15-footer with 6:48 to go, but Payton drove around Rose for a reverse layup and an 83-76 Seattle lead with 6:28 left.

SuperSonics 99, Nuggets 83

FG FT Reb DENVER Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts D.Ellis 40 9-12 0-0 1-7 2 3 19 McDyess 39 5-14 7-10 7-12 0 2 17 Mutombo 39 3-9 3-4 3-14 1 2 9 Abdul-Rauf 35 5-16 0-0 0-1 2 4 13 Stith 38 2-7 4-4 1-3 3 4 8 Rose 26 3-9 4-6 0-6 6 3 11 Hammonds 16 1-4 2-2 0-4 0 2 4 Overton 5 1-3 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 Cvetkovic 2 0-0 0-0 1-1 0 0 0 Totals 240 29-74 20-26 13-48 15 21 83

Percentages: FG .392, FT .769.

3-Point Goals: 5-16, .313 (Abdul-Rauf 3-6, D.Ellis 1-3, Rose 1-4, Overton 0-1, Stith 0-1, McDyess 0-1).

Team Rebounds: 7.

Blocked shots: 5 (Mutombo 5).

Turnovers: 23 (Stith 5, Abdul-Rauf 5, McDyess 4, Rose 4, Mutombo 2, D.Ellis, Hammonds, team).

Steals: 7 (McDyess 2, Abdul-Rauf 2, Hammonds 2, D.Ellis).

Technical fouls: Coach Bickerstaff, :50.9 fourth; Delay of game, 5:48 fourth.

Illegal defense: 1.

FG FT Reb SEATTLE Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts Kemp 37 8-14 6-7 6-16 3 3 22 McMillan 32 1-6 0-0 0-1 7 1 3 Perkins 27 3-8 3-4 0-5 0 2 11 Hawkins 37 10-20 3-3 1-4 0 4 24 Payton 42 11-22 0-0 2-5 6 3 22 Brickowski 15 1-5 0-0 1-2 1 3 3 Askew 23 3-5 0-0 1-3 4 2 6 Wingate 8 1-2 0-0 0-1 1 0 2 Johnson 16 1-3 2-2 0-4 1 3 4 Ford 1 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 Scheffler 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Snow 1 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 Totals 240 40-87 14-16 11-41 23 22 99

Percentages: FG .460, FT .875.

3-Point Goals: 5-18, .278 (Perkins 2-5, McMillan 1-2, Brickowski 1-3, Hawkins 1-5, Payton 0-3).

Team Rebounds: 4.

Blocked shots: 2 (Kemp, Johnson).

Turnovers: 10 (Hawkins 3, Kemp 2, Brickowski 2, Askew, McMillan, Payton).

Steals: 12 (Payton 3, Hawkins 3, Kemp 2, McMillan 2, Perkins, Askew).

Technical fouls: None.

Illegal defense: 1. Denver 26 21 20 16 - 83 Seattle 22 28 21 28 - 99

A-17,072 (17,072). T-2:10.