SuperSonics hang on

SEATTLE – Ray Allen scored 33 points and the Seattle SuperSonics held off a major fourth-quarter rally for a 114-104 win over the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday night.

Playing its first home game in 16 days, Seattle won for just the third time in the last 13 games. But what looked like a rout turned got a little exciting in the final period.

Seattle led by 23 late in the third quarter, only to watch the Hornets pull within three late in the fourth. The Sonics scored 15 of the final 23 points to finally pull away.

Allen missed only one shot in the first half en route to 20 points, and Rashard Lewis added 25 for the Sonics, who had all five starters score in double figures.

Rookie Chris Paul led the Hornets with 25 points and 14 assists and Rasual Butler added 23 off the bench, including a club-record tying five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

The Sonics seemed to put the Hornets away with a sudden burst midway through the third quarter. A 12-0 run gave them an 86-64 lead. Paul scored on a layup with less than a second left in the quarter – the only field goal in the last 5:19 for New Orleans.

That was just the start for the Hornets.

Paul and Marc Jackson started the fourth on an 11-3 run to pull the Hornets within 92-79.

Butler started hitting 3-pointers, pulling New Orleans within 99-96 with 4:23 left.

They got no closer. Nick Collison scored for Seattle, followed by two free throws by Lewis. Jackson scored for the Hornets, but Lewis converted a three-point play with 2:22 left for a 106-98 Seattle lead and the Hornets got no closer than five.

Jackson finished with 19 on 9-of-13 shooting. David West added 12 for the Hornets, who had won the first two games of their four-game road trip.

Collison scored 14, Johan Petro 12 and Luke Ridnour had 10 points and nine assists for Seattle.

It was a completely different looking Sonics’ team than the one that lost to Denver on Feb. 12 in their last home game. Gone were Vladimir Radmanovic, Reggie Evans, Ronald Murray and Vitaly Potapenko, all replaced in trades by Earl Watson, Chris Wilcox and Mike Wilks.

Ridnour gets Olympic tryout

Seattle guard Luke Ridnour said he has been invited to try out for the U.S. basketball team that will compete at the world championships and the 2008 Olympics.

Ridnour told The Associated Press that he has accepted an invitation to compete for a spot.

“Just to be able to get the opportunity to go do it is huge,” Ridnour said. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”

USA Basketball head Jerry Colangelo is expected to reveal the entire roster on Sunday.

Seattle’s Rashard Lewis says he has talked with Colangelo about a roster spot, but it was still being negotiated with his agent, Carl Poston.

“I talked to (Poston) today and he said to just wait and see what happens,” Lewis said.

Lewis is enjoying the best season of his eight-year career. The 26-year-old is averaging a career-high 21.1 points, second on the team behind All-Star Ray Allen.

SuperSonics 114, Hornets 104

Percentages: FG .451, FT .828. 3-Point Goals: 6-17, .353 (Butler 5-9, Paul 1-3, Johnson 0-2, Snyder 0-3). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 11 (12 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (West 2, Brown). Turnovers: 11 (Paul 2, Snyder 2, Jackson 2, Brown, Mason, West, A.Williams, Johnson). Steals: 8 (Paul 3, Brown, West, Snyder, A.Williams, Johnson). Technical Fouls: Mason, 7.8 second; Mason, 38.3 third; Paul, 7:34 fourth. Ejected: Mason, 38.3 third.

Percentages: FG .597, FT .815. 3-Point Goals: 6-12, .500 (Allen 5-7, Watson 1-2, Lewis 0-3). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: 18 (20 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (Swift 3). Turnovers: 18 (Allen 3, Ridnour 3, Lewis 2, Collison 2, Swift 2, Wilcox 2, Watson 2, Wilkins, Petro). Steals: 6 (Lewis 3, Petro 2, Watson). Technical Fouls: None.