SuperSonics sink Clippers

LOS ANGELES – Rashard Lewis had 35 points and 13 rebounds, Ray Allen scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, and the Seattle SuperSonics dealt the Los Angeles Clippers their first home loss of the season with a 95-85 victory Wednesday night.

Reserve forward Tim Thomas scored 15 points for the Clippers, who won their first six games at Staples Center to set a franchise record for the fastest start at home.

Elton Brand had 16 rebounds and seven points, and Chris Kaman had 14 rebounds and 12 points.

The Clippers, who never led, trailed 75-72 on Brand’s 15-footer with 8:13 left. But Allen responded with a 3-pointer on Seattle’s next possession, triggering a 16-7 run that put the Sonics ahead 91-79 with 2:37 left to equal their biggest lead. Lewis helped spark the spurt with eight points.

Thomas, who had a 13-point third quarter, opened the second half with a pair of 3s a minute apart to pull Los Angeles into a 49-all tie. But the Sonics scored the next nine points and restored their double-digit lead on Lewis’ three-point play with 7:17 left in the third quarter.

Seattle used 16 points from Lewis and 10 from Allen to build a 49-43 halftime lead. The Clippers, who fell behind Philadelphia by 16 points in the first quarter last Saturday at Staples Center before beating them in overtime, again found themselves playing catch-up at home after Seattle opened the game with a 22-10 run that included nine points by Lewis.

Neither team shot over 40 percent during the half, so there were plenty of opportunities for rebounds. Brand had 10 and Kaman nine, while Nick Collison grabbed nine of his 13 boards for Seattle in his first 13 minutes on the floor. The only thing that kept Los Angeles close at intermission was its ability to get to the free throw line. The Clippers were 13 for 19, compared to 7 for 8 for Seattle.

One non-call particularly irked Sonics coach Bob Hill, and it had nothing to do with fouls. Allen missed a 22-footer with 4:27 left in the second quarter and the ball was still touching the rim when Corey Maggette grabbed it and triggered a fast break, leading to a 21-footer by Maggette that cut Seattle’s lead to 40-36.

Notes

Sonics forward Danny Fortson, limited to just 6 minutes in Seattle’s last seven games because of a sore right knee, may be ready to play against Sacramento on Friday. … Allen increased his career point total to 15,844, passing Jack Twyman into 79th place all-time. Next on the list is “Pistol” Pete Maravich at 15,948.