Opponent: Houston Rockets
When: 1 p.m.
Where: Toyota Center, Houston
TV: KONG (Ch. 6/16)
Radio: KJR (950 AM)
Probable starters: For Seattle – forwards Rashard Lewis (6 feet, 10 inches) and Reggie Evans (6-8), center Vitaly Potapenko (6-10), guards Antonio Daniels (6-4) and Ray Allen (6-5). For Houston – forwards Kelvin Cato (6-11) and Jim Jackson (6-6), center Yao Ming (7-5), guards Cuttino Mobley (6-4) and Steve Francis (6-3).
Next game: Seattle at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Though Sonics coach Nate McMillan was the only one to speak in a lengthy locker room address after Friday’s home loss to Phoenix, Seattle guard Antonio Daniels says the time could come – and perhaps very soon – when the squad gathers for a players-only meeting.
“If guys aren’t coming to play,” he said, “then we may need to do that within the confines of our own team. It doesn’t need to be public … but if somebody is not coming to play, then we need to have a team meeting and let that guy know.
“You can’t have just five guys bring it or just seven guys bring it. We’re not talented enough to go out and beat teams with talent. We have to beat teams with hard work and with hustle, and we have to do it together,” he said.
Turning around a losing string is something “that has to start with everybody individually,” Daniels said. “All of us have to look within ourselves and get through this together.”
Scouting report: Through the first 2 1/2months of this NBA season, the Sonics and Rockets were stride for stride in the Western Conference standings. On Jan. 9, Seattle improved to 19-15 with a win over Memphis. The night before, Houston had raised its record to 20-15 by beating New York.
Since then, though, the two teams have gone in opposite directions. While the Sonics have slumped to a 26-32 record, Houston has improved to 34-24. The Rockets have gone 8-4 in February while Seattle is 4-9.
Houston has also won five straight at the Toyota Center, where it will host Seattle this afternoon.
The Rockets have five players who have double-figure scoring averages, but no one over 17 points a game. The leader is 7-foot-5 center Yao Ming, who averages 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots per contest. Point guard Steve Francis averages 16.5 points, 5.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals, while backcourt mate Cuttino Mobley contributes 15.6 points and 4.4 rebounds.
That’s a fact: The Sonics are one of nine NBA teams that does not have a winning home record this season. Seattle, 16-16 at KeyArena, is joined by Phoenix (13-16), Toronto (14-14), Philadelphia (13-15), Atlanta (12-16), Washington (12-16), Boston (12-18), Chicago (10-20) and Orlando (8-21) in that dubious club.
Still searching: Because he is still searching for a spark, McMillan might well juggle his starting lineup for today’s game. But one player who probably won’t be in the opening lineup, at least after his performance in Friday night’s game with Phoenix, is forward Vlade Radmanovic.
A one-time starter this season, Radmanovic has played from the bench the last 20 games and his production has dropped. Against Phoenix, he played 14 minutes of the first half and had four points (1-for-5 from the field plus two free throws) and no rebounds. He played just 25 seconds of the second half, which is obvious evidence of McMillan’s dissatisfaction.
Rich Myhre
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