Sonics Capitalize On Denver’s Charity

Seattle center Jim McIlvaine put the finishing touch on the SuperSonics’ 123-97 victory Thursday over the Denver Nuggets.

The 7-foot-1 center made his first career 3-point shot after coming off a screen by Larry Stewart in the fourth quarter.

“Big Mac practices that shot every day in practice,” Sonics co-captain Nate McMillan said. “He’s our secret weapon.”

McIlvaine, who the Sonics signed to a seven-year, $33 million contract in the off-season, said it is the first 3-point shot he’s made in high school, college or the pros.

“Don’t look for me to take the shot when the score is close,” McIlvaine said.

Shawn Kemp led the Sonics with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Hersey Hawkins had 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting and equaled a season high with five steals.

McIlvaine had nine points and three blocked shots. His second 3-point attempt of the game was an airball and fell 3 feet short.

Led by Gary Payton’s 12 assists, the Sonics had a season-high 38 assists.

Sonics coach George Karl wasn’t sure how his team would come out after consecutive road losses to the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls.

“I was thinking either we’d come out flat or continue to play good defense,” Karl said. “Our pressure was great, and that made the game fairly easy.”

Nuggets coach Dick Motta was impressed by Seattle.

“That’s the best anyone has played against us this year,” Motta said.

Seattle’s pressure defense forced Denver into a season-high 33 turnovers for 45 points, beating the Nuggets for the third time this season.

Seattle led 10-0, 17-3 and 37-12 in handing the Nuggets their ninth loss in the past 11 games.

LaPhonso Ellis paced the Nuggets with 20 points. He said the Sonics intimidated them.

“We came out afraid, which was a great part of our demise,” LaPhonso Ellis said. “Fear leads to turnovers.”

The Sonics equaled a season high with their 123 points.

Denver set a franchise record with 16 3-point baskets. After losing close games to Detroit and Chicago on the road, the Sonics took out their frustrations on the Nuggets. They beat Denver for the eighth straight time in Seattle.

Seattle had 22 steals, led by Hawkins’ five, and the Sonics’ pressure defense gave them countless easy baskets. The Nuggets are 8-25 on the road.

“It was just a continuation of the defense we’ve been playing the past two weeks,” Hawkins said.

Seattle’s biggest lead was 80-45 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter.

Hawkins led the Sonics with 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Kemp had 13 points and seven rebounds.

McMillan came off the bench for eight points and four steals in 9 minutes of the second period.

Schrempf removes cast

Injured All-Star forward Detlef Schrempf has taken off the air cast he has been wearing since going on the injured list on Feb. 27 with a partial tear in the peroneal tendon of his left foot.

Schrempf shot around for about a half-hour before the game, but said he isn’t ready to begin practicing.

“Shooting is standing around, running is running,” Schrempf said.

Karl agreed, saying it will be a few more days before Schrempf could think about practicing.

Karl, however, said he knows of no timetable for Schrempf’s return. “They won’t give me one,” he said. “They don’t trust me.”

Notes

Ervin Johnson blocked two of Kemp’s shots in a 3-second sequence in the first quarter… . The Sonics had 11 steals in the first half… . Payton’s half-court lob to Kemp for a two-handed reverse dunk with 7:00 left in the third quarter was the most spectacular play of the game… . Jerome Allen’s 3-point shot with 32 seconds left set Denver’s franchise mark.

SuperSonics 123, Nuggets 97

FG FT Reb DENVER Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts L.Ellis 35 6-15 4-4 0-9 2 0 20 McDyess 36 2-4 4-4 0-2 2 3 8 Johnson 27 1-2 1-2 2-10 1 2 3 D.Ellis 34 6-14 2-3 1-2 1 3 16 Thompson 31 3-9 0-0 0-2 4 2 9 Smith 18 5-7 1-1 0-1 2 1 16 Hammonds 28 2-6 6-8 4-9 1 1 10 Goldwire 14 2-6 1-2 0-0 3 2 6 Allen 11 2-2 0-0 0-0 4 1 5 Zidek 6 2-4 0-0 1-1 0 1 4 Totals 240 31-69 19-24 8-36 20 16 97 Percentages: FG .449, FT .792.

3-Point Goals: 16-31, .516 (Smith 5-7, L.Ellis 4-6, Thompson 3-8, D.Ellis 2-7, Allen 1-1, Goldwire 1-2).

Team Rebounds: 11.

Blocked shots: 7 (L.Ellis 3, Johnson 3, McDyess).

Turnovers: 33 (McDyess 6, Smith 5, Johnson 5, D.Ellis 4, L.Ellis 3, Thompson 3, Goldwire 2, Hammonds, Allen, team 3).

Steals: 8 (Thompson 2, L.Ellis, McDyess, Johnson, Smith, Goldwire, Allen).

Technical fouls: None.

Illegal defense: None.

FG FT Reb SEATTLE Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts Kemp 30 11-22 1-2 5-10 1 2 24 Stewart 31 7-11 0-0 2-7 3 1 15 McIlvaine 27 2-4 4-6 0-4 0 6 9 Hawkins 26 9-11 0-0 2-4 2 2 23 Payton 29 5-15 0-0 1-2 12 2 11 Perkins 11 0-4 2-2 2-3 2 1 2 McMillan 16 3-6 0-0 1-7 7 2 8 Cummings 17 2-8 0-0 0-2 0 0 4 Wingate 20 3-5 1-2 0-0 2 1 8 Snow 12 2-3 0-0 0-0 6 0 4 Graham 5 1-3 2-2 0-0 0 0 4 Ehlo 16 5-7 0-1 0-0 3 2 11 Totals 240 50-99 10-15 13-39 38 19 123 Percentages: FG .505. FT .667.

3-Point Goals: 13-26, .500 (Hawkins 5-5, McMillan 2-5, Kemp 1-1, Wingate 1-1, Ehlo 1-1, McIlvaine 1-2, Stewart 1-3, Payton 1-4, Graham 0-2, Perkins 0-2).

Team Rebounds: 11.

Blocked shots: 3 (McIlvaine 3).

Turnovers: 11 (Kemp 3, Hawkins 3, Stewart, Perkins, Wingate, Snow, Ehlo).

Steals: 22 (Hawkins 5, McMillan 4, Kemp 3, Payton 3, Ehlo 3, McIlvaine, Cummings, Wingate, Snow).

Technical fouls: illegal defense, 1:57 third.

Illegal defense: 1.

Denver 12 23 23 39 - 97

Seattle 32 25 30 36 - 123

A-17,072 (17,072). T-1:56.