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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sonics frustrate Nuggets

Associated Press

DENVER – Ray Allen scored a season-high 39 points and Rashard Lewis added 27 in Seattle’s 112-105 victory over the short-handed Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.

The Nuggets got 32 points from Carmelo Anthony, but Seattle held him to just two free throws in the final 18 minutes. He ended his frustrating night with a missed layup with 19 seconds left.

Denver was without forward Marcus Camby, who underwent surgery Thursday on his broken right pinkie. The league’s leading rebounder will be sidelined indefinitely.

They did get Kenyon Martin back from a two-game absence with a bruised thigh, but his 11-point, seven-rebound performance wasn’t nearly enough to keep the Nuggets from blowing a fourth-quarter lead and losing for the ninth time this season.

The SuperSonics played without two players, Luke Ridnour and Danny Fortson.

Ridnour was sore after taking a shot to the chest last Friday night from Dallas’ Jerry Stackhouse, and Fortson began a two-game suspension for berating a referee Wednesday night at Minnesota and failing to promptly leave the game after being ejected. Fortson will also sit out Saturday night against Memphis.

Thanks to Allen, their absences weren’t felt.

The Nuggets’ running pace didn’t appear to favor the SuperSonics, who were playing their third game in four nights and against a Denver team that leads the league with 22 fast-break points a game, including 26 at the Pepsi Center.

But the Nuggets got beat at their own game.

They sorely missed their big man in the middle and getting outrebounded 48-36.