Wizards Whip Sonics In New Arena

It could have been the change of scenery, the presence of President Clinton or the noise created by the sellout crowd at the new MCI Center.

Whatever the reason, the Washington Wizards finally won a home game Tuesday, opening their new $200 million arena with a 95-78 win that snapped the Seattle SuperSonics’ seven-game win streak.

Juwan Howard and reserve Tracy Murray had 18 points apiece for Washington, which had lost all five of its games at the US Airways Arena this season. Things were decidedly different in the Wizards’ new home, however, as they took the lead in the first quarter and never lost it.

The game itself was almost secondary to the long-awaited opening of the MCI Center, which is the product of a longtime quest by Wizards and Washington Capitals owner Abe Pollin to house his pro teams in downtown Washington.

The grand opening of the 20,674-seat arena went off with nary a glitch, except perhaps for the delay created by fans being forced to enter through metal detectors because of Clinton’s appearance.

After Seattle whittled a 15-point deficit to six by halftime, Washington opened the second half with a 10-4 spurt to make it 61-49.

It was 74-63 after the third quarter, and the Wizards pulled away by opening the final period with a 12-5 spree that made it 86-68.

Vin Baker led Seattle with 22 points and Detlef Schrempf had 17.

Kersey on injured list

The Sonics placed forward Jerome Kersey on the injured list Tuesday and activated guard James Cotton. Kersey has a stress fracture of the left foot and has not dressed for the Sonics’ last four games.