Allen boosts Sonics
SEATTLE – Ray Allen hit deep 3-pointers, flat-footed jumpers and scored on tough drives. He was also perfect from the free-throw line.
Allen scored a career-high 54 points to lead Seattle to a 122-114 overtime win over the Utah Jazz on Friday night, snapping the SuperSonics’ six-game losing streak.
Allen’s performance was second-best effort in franchise history to Fred Brown’s 58-point outburst against Golden State on March 23, 1974, and easily surpassed Allen’s previous career-high of 47 versus Charlotte in 2002 while Allen was with Milwaukee.
Seattle needed every point on this night.
“The circumstances – us needing a win, going into overtime like we did, being down in the fourth quarter – it looked like we were heading in that direction where we’ve been headed in many games up to this point,” Allen said.
Allen was 17 for 32 from the field, 12 for 12 at the line and grabbed 10 rebounds.
He changed what was appearing to be Seattle’s seventh consecutive loss with a scoring burst in the closing minutes of regulation that carried into the overtime. Allen scored 18 points in the fourth quarter, 15 in the final 5 minutes. Seattle trailed 102-93 after Mehmet Okur’s jumper with 2:32 left, before Allen really went to work.
“I’d say he was terrific,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said.
Allen started with a driving three-point play, followed by a deep 3-pointer. Chris Wilcox added two free throws to pull Seattle to 102-101.
Carlos Boozer – who finished with 32 points and 16 rebounds – scored at the rim, but Wilcox followed with a dunk, setting the stage for the final seconds.
Seattle fouled Deron Williams, who made both free throws for a 106-103 Jazz lead. Allen then curled off a pair of screens and swished a 27-footer with Boozer’s hand in his face with 8 seconds left, forcing the extra session.
“Ray’s performance was one of the finest most people here tonight have ever seen,” Seattle coach Bob Hill said.
Allen opened overtime making a flat-footed 15-footer as the shot clock ticked down. After Andrei Kirilenko’s dunk, Earl Watson scored underneath and Allen hit a 20-footer to give Seattle a 112-108 lead.
Another jumper by Allen kept the Sonics’ lead at four, but he then had the ball stripped by Kirilenko, who passed to an open Williams. Andre Brown, recently signed to a 10-day contract from Sioux Falls of the NBA Developmental League, hustled from behind to block Williams’ layup attempt.
Nick Collison then scored and Kirilenko missed two 3-pointers in the final minute as KeyArena was energized for the first time in a lackluster season.
Utah tried a variety of defenders – Kirilenko, Derek Fisher, Gordon Giricek – but none of them was able to slow Allen. It was his first time scoring 40 or more since he had 42 at Phoenix last season.
“People want to know what the ‘zone’ is like, and if I could have a tape and show people, this is what it’s like,” Allen said. “You can’t explain it. It just happens.”
Collison had his third straight double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Watson finished with a career-high 16 assists, many of them setting up Allen’s jumpers.
Notes
Seattle center Johan Petro left in the fourth quarter with a bruised right knee. … Seattle coach Bob Hill returned to the bench after missing Wednesday’s 107-103 loss to Miami with a respiratory infection. Hill, who said he felt about 70 to 75 percent, said it was “weird” watching Wednesday’s game on television at home, but felt the coaching staff did a solid job.
Sonics 122, Jazz 114 (OT)
| FG | FT | Reb | ||||
| UTAH | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Kirilenko | 3-8 | 5-6 | 0-3 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| Boozer | 14-20 | 4-5 | 6-16 | 3 | 4 | 32 |
| Okur | 9-18 | 3-5 | 3-8 | 1 | 4 | 23 |
| Giricek | 2-4 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Williams | 4-18 | 7-8 | 0-7 | 9 | 5 | 15 |
| Fisher | 1-4 | 4-4 | 0-1 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Millsap | 2-3 | 1-2 | 1-5 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Harpring | 4-7 | 3-5 | 1-1 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| Collins | 3-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Brewer | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 42-85 | 28-37 | 11-42 | 26 | 31 | 114 |
Percentages: FG .494, FT .757. 3-Point Goals: 2-12, .167 (Okur 2-5, Fisher 0-1, Kirilenko 0-2, Williams 0-4). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 17 (21 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Kirilenko 2, Okur, Millsap). Turnovers: 16 (Boozer 5, Giricek 4, Okur 3, Williams 2, Fisher, Millsap). Steals: 10 (Boozer 3, Kirilenko 2, Williams 2, Millsap 2, Giricek). Technical Fouls: None.
| FG | FT | Reb | ||||
| SEATTLE | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Gelabale | 0-7 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Wilcox | 4-9 | 3-4 | 3-5 | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Collison | 8-10 | 9-10 | 5-13 | 0 | 3 | 25 |
| Allen | 17-32 | 12-12 | 3-10 | 5 | 2 | 54 |
| Watson | 3-9 | 3-4 | 0-4 | 16 | 5 | 10 |
| Wilkins | 2-10 | 4-4 | 0-3 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| Ridnour | 2-4 | 3-3 | 0-3 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Petro | 0-2 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| ABrown | 2-2 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Totals | 38-85 | 37-41 | 12-42 | 24 | 28 | 122 |
Percentages: FG .447, FT .902. 3-Point Goals: 9-19, .474 (Allen 8-12, Watson 1-4, Wilkins 0-1, Ridnour 0-2). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 13 (12 PTS). Blocked Shots: 7 (Collison 2, Wilcox 2, Watson, Wilkins, A.Brown). Turnovers: 13 (Watson 3, Allen 2, Petro 2, Wilcox 2, Ridnour, Wilkins, Gelabale, A.Brown). Steals: 9 (Watson 4, Wilcox 2, Allen, Collison, A.Brown). Technical Fouls: None.
| Utah | 26 | 28 | 19 | 33 | 8 – 114 |
| Seattle | 21 | 29 | 23 | 33 | 16 – 122 |
A – 15,391 (17,072).