Stoudamire Leads Raptors Past Sonics

Damon Stoudamire scored 27 points and dished out 10 assists Monday afternoon, leading the Toronto Raptors to a 116-111 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics in Toronto.

Newly acquired John Wallace contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds off the bench as the Raptors improved to 1-1 in preseason play.

Gary Payton scored a team-high 27 points for the SuperSonics, who fell to 1-2 in the preseason.

After Marcus Camby’s field goal put the Raptors up 106-98 with 3:53 to play, Payton scored Seattle’s next five points, hitting a free throw and two field goals to cut the deficit to 106-103.

Vin Baker, who had 15 points and seven rebounds, hit a field goal to cut it to 106-105 before Stoudamire hit three consecutive free throws, drawing a foul from Payton, who was ejected for arguing the call.

Eric Snow’s field goal with 52 seconds remaining cut the lead to 109-107 and Stoudamire made two free throws for a 111-107 lead before Baker’s dunk trimmed the Raptors’ lead to 111-109 with 12 seconds left.

Forced to foul, Seattle sent Shawn Respert to the line with 11 seconds left and he sank both, putting the Raptors up 113-109.

Detlef Schrempf finished with 20 points for Seattle, while Dale Ellis contributed 14 points off the bench.

Unsung Laker isn’t flashy

Nick Van Exel is neatly summed up in the Sports Illustrated NBA preview that hit the stands Monday.

In one feature, he’s listed as the 14th-best (worst?) trash talker in the league. In another piece, he’s ranked seventh among the most proficient point guards in the NBA.

With Van Exel, both talented and testy, you take the good with the bad. That much is clear. But the Los Angeles Lakers point guard, who suddenly plays a vital role in the team’s championship hopes this season, appears on neither of these lists.

Los Angeles, meet Derek Fisher.

Fisher, a second-year pro, is neither as mouthy as Van Exel nor as established. But he will be counted on often as the Lakers try to keep Van Exel’s left knee from disintegrating before April.

Not to worry. Fisher won’t be flashy, but he will be effective and reliable when called upon.

As a rookie last season, Fisher asserted himself nicely - in three starts in place of Van Exel, he averaged 12 points and 4.7 assists. Fisher ran the offense well, minimized mistakes and generally kept the team on an even keel, going 2-1 in Van Exel’s absence.

Comparing the two, coach Del Harris said, “‘Fish’ is kind of a little bit more of a steady, lower key, blendin player.”

Childs out at least one week

New York Knicks guard Chris Childs fractured his left eye socket when he was elbowed by San Antonio’s David Robinson on Sunday night in an exhibition game at Syracuse, N.Y., the team announced.

Terming the injury a minimally displaced fracture of the left orbit, the Knicks said Childs would be sidelined for a week and then re-evaluated.

Childs is the second Knicks point guard to be hurt during the preseason. Backup Charlie Ward, who has a slight stress fracture of the lower right leg, should be back for the regular-season opener.

Shackleford sent packing

The Washington Wizards waived Charles Shackleford less than a week after the center-forward was signed to a free-agent contract.

Shackleford played three minutes with no points in Saturday’s exhibition game against the San Antonio Spurs.

Shackleford averaged 5.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game over five seasons - two each with the Nets and 76ers and one with the Timberwolves.