Jazz fast break past slumping Sonics

Published 9:00 pm Friday, November 28, 2003

SALT LAKE CITY – Setting a new career high was simple for Raja Bell.

“I was getting good looks,” Bell said.

Bell scored a career-high 25 points and Matt Harpring added 24 to lead the Utah Jazz to a 98-81 victory over the slumping Seattle SuperSonics on Friday night.

The Jazz led by as many as 21 points and handled the Sonics without much trouble despite the benching of starting center Greg Ostertag.

Bell, best known as a defensive specialist before signing with Utah as a free agent, scored mostly on drives to the basket, helping the Jazz to a 25-14 advantage in fast-break points.

“Matt, Curtis Borchardt, and Andrei (Kirilenko) were setting some great screens and I was finding myself wide open,” Bell said.

Brent Barry scored 20 points for the Sonics, who played without second-leading scorer Rashard Lewis. Vladimir Radmanovic added 14 points for Seattle, which has lost four of five.

Lewis, averaging 21.3 points, missed the game to be with his family after the unexpected death of his brother in Houston. Lewis is expected to rejoin the team for Saturday’s game against the visiting Rockets.

Harpring scored eight points in an 11-0 run that lifted Utah to a 72-51 lead with 2:02 left in the third quarter. Seattle coach Nate McMillan pulled all his starters and the Sonics showed some life.

“I want to see fight. I want to see scrapping,” Seattle coach Nate McMillan said. “But that’s not what I saw for most of the night.”

Luke Ridnour, who didn’t play in the first half, made three 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter as Seattle closed within 77-69.

But Harpring and Bell capped a 17-5 run with three straight layups to help seal the victory.

“The system (Utah coach Jerry) Sloan runs and the way he teaches basketball is infectious on their team,” Barry said. “They’ve pulled together and that’s a lesson we can learn.”

The Sonics had the look of a team in disarray as players used one-on-one moves, pointed fingers and shouted at each other.

“I think we’ve been looking for things to pin bad performances on. But we have to be beyond that,” Barry said. “We have to come and put the effort out on the court.”

Seattle had 21 turnovers and 14 assists, and were outrebounded 44-30.

Ronald “Flip” Murray, who leads the team in scoring with a 22.8 average, shot 4-for-14 one game after scoring just 11 points and didn’t play in the fourth quarter.

The Jazz have been forced to play two rookie point guards since Carlos Arroyo sprained his ankle last Friday against Milwaukee.

Raul Lopez and Maurice Williams scored 15 points and had 12 assists as Utah improved to 8-1 at home.

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