Jazz manhandle lackluster SuperSonics
NBA fans are often warned against reading too much into preseason games.
Spokane-area faithful of the Seattle SuperSonics might be well advised to take that warning to heart. Otherwise, why worry about the rest of the season?
Especially after the way the Sonics performed in Sunday night’s 100-84 preseason loss to the Utah Jazz in the Arena.
A crowd of 4,507, the smallest for a Sonics game here since 1991, showed up to witness the blowout, which was fueled by Utah’s balanced scoring and the kind of defensive tenacity that Seattle coach Nate McMillan hopes his Sonics will eventually embrace.
The Jazz, who were making their preseason debut after a planned trip to Russia was cancelled earlier this month, finished with six players in double figures. Veteran forward Matt Harpring scored a team-high 18, while Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko and rookie Kris Humphries each added 14.
The Sonics (1-3) were challenged – offensively and defensively – from the opening tip of this one. Ray Allen finished with 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the field, but played only 23 minutes. And during the 25 he wasn’t on the floor, McMillan was left with precious few players to turn to as scoring options.
Rookie free agent Ibrahim Kutluay, who was brought in as a perimeter shooter to help ease the losses of Brent Barry and former Gonzaga University standout Richie Frahm, scored 15 points, but made only two of nine field-goal tries and got 10 of his points from the foul line.
“Defensively, they took us off our passing and we couldn’t quite get into our offense,” said McMillan, who was obviously upset with his team’s effort. “We didn’t set screens and make contact with the screens.”
And the defense McMillan hopes will eventually be more aggressive and much improved was certainly neither of those against the Jazz, who shot 50 percent (16 of 32) from the field and scored 31 points in both the first and third periods.
“That team came down at least five or six straight possessions and scored,” McMillan said. “You’ve got to take some pride and get some stops.
“It shouldn’t be as easy as they made it look.”
Utah, along with shooting well from the field, beat the Sonics on the boards 48-38 and allowed very few second shots.
“They’re a physical team – you have to expect that when you play Utah,” McMillan added. “But it’s NBA basketball. They basically pushed us around and did what they wanted to do.”
The game had little or no rhythm, especially in the second quarter when the two teams combined to commit 21 fouls and shoot 27 free throws. The seemingly endless period ended with Utah leading 53-46.
And when the Jazz outscored the Sonics 31-18 in the third period, what little suspense was left lingering after intermission faded to black.
“They pretty much manhandled us,” McMillan said.