Seattle routs Jazz
SEATTLE – Rashard Lewis led six Seattle players in double figures with 22 points in just three quarters, and the SuperSonics rolled past the Utah Jazz 113-81 Sunday night.
Ray Allen added 20 points and eight assists as Seattle continued a string of solid play on its current homestand. The Sonics beat New Orleans last Tuesday and lost to Detroit 98-96 on Friday on a basket by Richard Hamilton with less than 1 second remaining.
The Sonics shot 57 percent, with Luke Ridnour adding 12 points and nine assists. Earl Watson had his best game since being acquired in a trade-deadline deal with Denver, scoring 10 points with seven assists and five rebounds.
Seattle had 28 assists on 47 baskets.
Utah was lethargic and continued its frustrating stretch of alternating wins and losses its last six games, and looked nothing like a team chasing Denver atop the mediocre Northwest Division. Carlos Boozer led the Jazz with 14 points.
Mehmet Okur was held to seven points, 10 under his season average, and Andrei Kirilenko struggled with fouls and scored just eight points. Both played 18 minutes.
Seattle took three of four games with the Jazz this season.
Already leading by 14 at halftime, Seattle pushed the lead to 21 midway through the third quarter with a quick 8-2 burst.
Robert Swift dunked in transition, followed by two baskets from Allen – a driving layup and 22-foot jumper. Ridnour added a nifty drive through the lane for a 75-54 lead, forcing Utah coach Jerry Sloan to call timeout.
It didn’t help. Seattle continued to shred Utah’s defense and had 91 points after three quarters. The Sonics scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter for a 99-68 lead. Seattle’s lead got as high as 33.
It wasn’t just at the offensive end for Seattle. The Sonics played solid defense, holding their opponent under 100 points in consecutive games for just the second time this season.
Damien Wilkins jumped into the stands and dove on the floor for loose balls. Watson’s quick hands frustrated Utah guards Deron Williams and Milt Palacio. Seattle forced 23 turnovers and scored 33 points off those turnovers. Seattle also had 38 fast break points.
Wilkins added 14 points and Chris Wilcox scored 10 for Seattle.
Notes
Seattle F Nick Collison injured his left foot in the first half and did not return. He played 12 minutes and scored five points. … Boozer had eight rebounds, leaving him one short of 2,000 for his career.
SuperSonics 113, Jazz 81
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| UTAH | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Kirilenko | 18:57 | 3-6 | 2-4 | 2-6 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Okur | 17:22 | 2-7 | 3-4 | 1-1 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Collins | 16:53 | 2-7 | 4-6 | 2-2 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Palacio | 18:25 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Williams | 30:23 | 5-9 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| Boozer | 25:31 | 5-9 | 4-6 | 3-8 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| Harpring | 27:52 | 2-12 | 3-4 | 4-7 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| McLeod | 21:08 | 0-4 | 3-5 | 0-1 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Brown | 31:07 | 4-9 | 3-4 | 2-8 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| Ostertag | 13:25 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Humphries | 12:00 | 3-4 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Whaley | 6:57 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals | 240:00 | 28-72 | 23-36 | 16-40 | 18 | 20 | 81 |
Percentages: FG .389, FT .639. 3-Point Goals: 2-10, .200 (Williams 2-4, Brown 0-1, Kirilenko 0-1, McLeod 0-1, Okur 0-3). Team Rebounds: 10. Team Turnovers: 23 (33 PTS). Blocked Shots: 6 (Kirilenko 2, Williams 2, Harpring, Ostertag). Turnovers: 23 (Brown 4, Humphries 4, Williams 4, Boozer 3, Okur 3, Palacio 2, Kirilenko, McLeod, Ostertag). Steals: 7 (Brown 3, Humphries 2, Collins, Harpring). Technical Fouls: None.
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| SEATTLE | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Collison | 12:00 | 2-2 | 1-3 | 0-3 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Lewis | 30:55 | 8-15 | 3-4 | 0-1 | 2 | 1 | 22 |
| Petro | 17:00 | 2-3 | 2-4 | 1-6 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| Allen | 29:01 | 8-12 | 1-1 | 0-3 | 8 | 3 | 20 |
| Ridnour | 30:33 | 5-10 | 2-2 | 0-2 | 9 | 2 | 12 |
| Watson | 23:04 | 4-11 | 0-0 | 2-5 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| Swift | 21:48 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 2-7 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Wilcox | 20:38 | 5-7 | 0-0 | 1-4 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| Wilkins | 26:17 | 7-11 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| Moore | 15:22 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 1-4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Wilks | 7:04 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Felix | 6:18 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals | 240:00 | 47-82 | 11-16 | 9-38 | 28 | 24 | 113 |
Percentages: FG .573, FT .688. 3-Point Goals: 8-18, .444 (Allen 3-6, Lewis 3-7, Watson 2-5). Team Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 16 (15 PTS). Blocked Shots: 7 (Moore 2, Petro 2, Swift 2, Lewis). Turnovers: 16 (Moore 3, Swift 2, Watson 2, Wilkins 2, Allen, Collison, Felix, Petro, Ridnour, Wilcox, Wilks). Steals: 17 (Wilkins 7, Ridnour 3, Lewis 2, Swift 2, Wilks 2, Allen). Technical Fouls: None.
| Utah | 21 | 26 | 21 | 13—81 |
| Seattle | 27 | 34 | 30 | 22—113 |
A—15,493 (17,072). T—2:07.