Lewis cures Sonics’ blues

ATLANTA – A sore ankle had Rashard Lewis thinking about taking the night off. He didn’t and it turned out to be a good decision.

Ray Allen scored 33 points and Lewis added 25, including a pair of key baskets down the stretch to help the Seattle SuperSonics to a 114-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, ending a four-game losing streak.

Seattle, which had lost eight of nine and seven straight on the road, took the lead for good at 104-101 on a three-point play by Lewis with 3 minutes, 55 seconds to play. Lewis, who led both teams with 10 rebounds, added a basket with 1:20 remaining to give the SuperSonics a 110-105 lead.

Lewis said he told coach Bob Hill that he might not play.

“It was a little stiff, but it started to loosen up as the game went on,” said Lewis. … “It just didn’t feel right (not to play). I didn’t want anybody to think I was giving up on my team, the fact that we were losing a lot of games.

“I honestly thought about it (not playing) last night and all day today, but I didn’t want to leave my team hanging like that. I just wanted to give some kind of effort, to let them know I’m still with them,” said Lewis, one of Seattle’s captains.

The Hawks, who have lost four of five, got to within a point at 110-109 on a 3-pointer by Josh Smith with 40 seconds left.

But Luke Ridnour hit a bucket with 18.7 left for a 112-109 lead and Atlanta’s Joe Johnson missed a 3-point attempt with less than 10 seconds left. Allen added a pair of free throws with a second left for the final score.

“I just missed it,” said Johnson. “I got a great look at it. Maybe I should have gone for a quick two, but I got a good look at it, so I took it. It felt good coming out of my hands, but it was a little short.”

Chris Wilcox added 16 points for Seattle and Ridnour had 15.

“Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen were really special, and I think everybody got a chance to see what Wilcox is going to do for us,” said Hill.

Al Harrington led Atlanta with 24 points. Josh Childress added 20 and Joe Johnson had 18 points and 11 assists. Marvin Williams came off the bench to add 17 points and Smith had 14.

The Hawks managed an 87-86 lead after three quarters, despite 10 points from Lewis.

SuperSonics 114, Hawks 109

Percentages: FG .570, FT .900. 3-Point Goals: 6-10, .600 (Allen 5-8, Ridnour 1-1, Lewis 0-1). Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: 15 (13 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Lewis, Ridnour, Moore, Petro, Wilcox). Turnovers: 14 (Collison 5, D.Wilkins 3, Lewis, Allen, Ridnour, Brunson, Moore, Wilcox). Steals: 6 (Collison 2, Ridnour 2, Allen, D.Wilkins). Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .500, FT .786. 3-Point Goals: 5-13, .385 (Johnson 2-7, J.Smith 1-1, Harrington 1-2, Stoudamire 1-2, M.Williams 0-1). Team Rebounds: 11. Team Turnovers: 10 (9 PTS). Blocked Shots: 6 (Johnson 4, Childress, J.Smith). Turnovers: 9 (J.Smith 3, Johnson 2, Childress, Pachulia, Stoudamire, M.Williams). Steals: 11 (Harrington 3, Johnson 3, J.Smith 2, M.Williams 2, Pachulia). Technical Fouls: None.

A–14,290 (18,729). T–2:10.