Trail Blazers find way to tip Seattle

PORTLAND, Ore. — Shareef Abdur-Rahim methodically stayed with his game and didn’t let the theatrics get to him.

Abdur-Rahim scored 25 points and was 10-for-10 from the free-throw line to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a come-from-behind 100-94 victory over Seattle SuperSonics on Tuesday night.

The Sonics, who entered with a league-best 13-2 record and a four-game winning streak, but unraveled after taking a 13-point lead in the second half. Trash talk, technicals and a couple of key flagrant fouls aided the disintegration, and Danny Fortson was ejected.

All the while, Abdur-Rahim kept his cool.

“He wasn’t saying I’m going to fight you or I’m going to hurt you,” Abdur-Rahim said of Fortson, who has been under the close watch of officials all season. “To me I think the referees were making too much out of it. I was telling them to let us play.

“I think in light of everything going on around the league they are cracking down or whatever.”

Zach Randolph had 19 points, including a key jumper with 17.2 seconds left, while Darius Miles came off the bench to score 20. Portland’s reserves outscored their Seattle counterparts 43-15.

The Sonics, who have lost five straight visits to the Rose Garden, were led by Rashard Lewis with 29 points.

The Sonics got into trouble when Fortson was ejected in the fourth quarter after a flagrant foul and his second technical foul.

Abdur-Rahim made all three foul shots, narrowing the score to 74-72, and the Blazers kept it close until Randolph hit a jumper to put Portland ahead 78-77.

The Blazers stretched it to 87-81 on Abdur-Rahim’s layup and a pair of free throws. But Lewis answered with a 3-pointer with 4:50 left to close the gap.

Still, the Blazers tenaciously held on to the lead, going up 96-91 on Randolph’s free throw. Seattle’s Vladimir Radmanovic hit a 3-pointer to make it 96-94 before Randolph’s 18-footer, and Abdur-Rahim sealed it with a pair of free throws. He was 10-for-10 from the free throw line.

Seattle’s Nick Collison was also called for a flagrant foul during the game.

The Sonics led by as many as seven points in the first quarter, but the Blazers went ahead 35-34 on Miles’ driving layup midway through the second quarter.

Portland extended the lead to 39-34 on Abdur-Rahim’s 17-foot jumper, then held on for a 45-42 advantage at the half.

Seattle came back with a 11-2 run to open the second half and had a 53-47 lead on Jerome James’ dunk.