Sonics’ Streak Hits Nine Kemp Scores 30, Payton 23 As Seattle Downs Kings 104-91

The Seattle SuperSonics and Sacramento Kings, two teams headed in opposite directions, kept going those ways on Saturday night.

Shawn Kemp had 30 points and 18 rebounds and Gary Payton scored 23 as Seattle (41-12) extended its season-high win streak to nine games with a 104-91 win.

Despite Mitch Richmond’s 22 points, the Kings (24-27) extended their losing streak to 10 games, the longest in the franchise’s Sacramento-era history.

“We don’t count the wins in a row, we just want to play well and count them afterwards,” Seattle’s Sam Perkins said.

“As a team, we’re just trying to keep the energy and emotion in these type of games,” Kemp said. “We tend to let teams come back in the second half, but tonight we stayed on them all four quarters.”

Trailing by three points early in the second quarter, Seattle outscored Sacramento by 22 through the end of the third quarter behind 16 points from Kemp to take an 81-62 lead.

Seattle never led by less than 14 points in the final quarter.

“I think when you’re losing, there are a couple of ways you can get frustrated,” Sacramento coach Garry St. Jean said. “You can break down defensively, maybe by not making shots and also by being discouraged by non-calls.”

The Kings shot just 39.8 percent from the field for the game. Sacramento, which ranks third in the league in 3-point shooting, hit only 1 of 14 attempts.

“I though our defense was consistent tonight,” Kemp said. “Our offense was all over the court.”

“Kemp brings it every night, Gary brings it every night and everybody else just does their role,” Richmond said of the Sonics.

Seattle recorded a season-high 11 blocks, led by four apiece from Kemp and Ervin Johnson.

The Sonics have won 15 of their last 16 games and 18 of their last 20.

The Kings have lost 18 of their last 23 games.

Olden Polynice scored seven points and Richmond six as Sacramento jumped out an 18-11 lead in the middle of the first quarter, but the Sonics took a one-point lead at the end of the quarter behind an 18-10 spurt sparked by seven points from Payton and six by Kemp.

The Sonics took a 55-45 halftime lead by outscoring Sacramento 26-17 in the second quarter behind eight points from Kemp and seven from Payton.

Payton’s layup with 8:27 left in the half put the Sonics ahead for good.

Notes

Billy Owens and Kevin Gamble, acquired by the Kings on Thursday from Miami, were in Sacramento taking their physicals… . The longest losing streak in the Kings’ franchise history is 14, set by the 1972 and 1960 Cincinnati Royals.

SuperSonics 104, Kings 91

FG FT Reb SACRAMENTO Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts Grant 30 4-9 3-6 0-3 0 4 11 Simmons 24 1-6 0-0 2-4 2 3 2 Polynice 29 6-13 1-2 4-9 1 3 13 Edney 36 8-17 2-3 0-4 7 1 18 Richmond 36 8-18 5-6 1-1 2 1 22 Williamson 19 3-8 2-2 0-4 1 5 8 Houston 24 2-4 2-2 3-8 0 3 6 Hurley 8 0-4 3-4 0-2 3 1 3 Causwell 18 1-5 1-2 2-4 0 2 3 McDaniel 16 2-4 1-2 0-3 2 3 5 Totals 240 35-88 20-29 12-42 18 26 91 Percentages: FG .398, FT .690.

3-Point Goals: 1-14, .071 (Richmond 1-6, Grant 0-1, Simmons 0-1, Williamson 0-1, Houston 0-1, Hurley 0-2, McDaniel 0-2). Team Rebounds: 15. Blocked shots: 6 (Causwell 2, Williamson, Edney, Simmons, Grant). Turnovers: 20 (Richmond 5, Williamson 3, Houston 2, Edney 2, Simmons 2, Grant, Hurley, Causwell McDaniel, team 2). Steals: 10 (Edney 4, Houston 4, Polynice, McDaniel). Technical foul: Richmond, 3:38 third. Illegal defense: None.

FG FT Reb SEATTLE Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts Kemp 38 10-17 10-14 6-18 2 4 30 Schrempf 23 2-6 8-8 1-1 0 4 12 Johnson 28 4-7 2-4 4-12 1 4 10 Hawkins 34 4-10 0-0 1-3 3 3 8 Payton 34 10-17 2-4 0-3 3 1 23 Perkins 25 1-11 1-2 2-6 3 1 3 Askew 26 2-4 0-0 0-3 3 3 5 Wingate 18 2-3 2-2 0-0 1 2 7 Snow 10 2-5 0-0 0-0 2 5 4 Scheffler 4 1-3 0-0 0-0 1 0 2 Totals 240 38-83 25-34 14-46 19 27 104 Percentages: FG .458, FT .735. 3-Point Goals: 3-14, .214 (Askew 1-1, Wingate 1-1, Payton 1-2, Schrempf 0-1, Kemp 0-2, Hawkins 0-3, Perkins 0-4). Team Rebounds: 13. Blocked shots: 11 (Kemp 4, Johnson 4, Perkins 2, Askew). Turnovers: 19 (Kemp 4, Johnson 4, Hawkins 3, Snow 2, Payton 2, Schrempf, Perkins, Askew, Wingate). Steals: 14 (Payton 6, Perkins 4, Kemp 2, Schrempf, Snow). Technical foul: Payton, 5:26 third. Illegal defense: None. Sacramento 28 17 17 29 - 91 Seattle 28 26 26 23 - 104 A-17,072 (17,072). T-2:12.

Officials-Ronnie Nunn, Scott Foster, Greg Willard.