By Rich Myhre
Herald Writer
SEATTLE – Seattle fans have grown accustomed to seeing some great Gary Payton performances over the years.
On Thursday night, they saw one of the greatest.
Against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers, Payton poured in 43 points, including 20 in the decisive fourth quarter, to almost single-handedly lift the SuperSonics to a spirited 101-90 victory. He also tacked on eight rebounds and six assists with no turnovers in 45 minutes.
Payton’s point total was within one of his career high, which he set last March 4 at Minnesota in an overtime game. Against the Clippers, Payton had a chance to equal his career best in the final minute by making the second of two free throws, but he may have been distracted by the KeyArena crowd, which picked that moment to take up an enthusiastic chant, “Ga-ry, Ga-ry, Ga-ry … “
“It was just a super-human effort,” said Seattle’s Vin Baker. “Not only did he get 43 points, but he got big buckets for us when we really needed them. I think that’s the most impressive part of it. It wasn’t 43 (in a blowout game), it was 43 where we needed every bucket down the stretch.”
“Gary was just phenomenal,” added backcourt mate Brent Barry. “He put the team on his back and we just rode him. For him to come out tonight and do that, it was fun to watch. It was fun even for our team to watch.”
Payton played the entire fourth period and had four points in the first six minutes. It was in the last six minutes that Payton took over, converting six of his last seven tries from the field, including a 3-pointer with three free throws as the Sonics stretched a three-point margin to an 11-point edge at the end.
“I didn’t realize he had 43 until the fans started chanting his name,” Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. “But it was just an unbelievable fourth quarter by him, taking over and putting the game away.”
“It was basically a perfect game for him,” said Seattle’s Desmond Mason. “I was just happy to be a part of that. Like I told him, ‘That’s the Gary Payton I remember watching a long time ago, going off with numbers like that.’ He just played a heck of a game. Nobody could stop him.”
The victory came against a Clippers team that was without starting forward Lamar Odom, who missed the game with a sore right wrist. Odom was hurt in a Dec. 16 game against Detroit, but had continued to play, including a Wednesday night game in LA against Philadelphia. Also absent was long-range specialist Eric Piatkowski, who has missed several games with a strained hip flexor.
In addition, the Clippers did not arrive in Seattle until 3 a.m. Thursday after facing Philadelphia in Los Angeles the night before. Still, the visitors put up a spirited battle. There were nine lead changes and 13 ties in the game, and neither team had a lead of double digits until the late seconds.
The Clippers managed 20 offensive rebounds and were 38-for-41 from the free throw line (Seattle was 20-for-26) to help keep the game close.
“When a team shoots 41 free throws and gets 20 offensive boards, normally you lose that game,” McMillan said. “But we made plays to win this game.”
The win, a season-high fifth straight for Seattle, lifted the Sonics back to .500 for the first time in a month. The Sonics can close 2001 above .500 – a team goal, established at a recent players meeting – by beating the visiting Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.
The game’s most dazzling moment belonged to the Sonics midway through the first quarter. On a Seattle fast break, Payton found Barry sliding down the middle of the lane. Barry took the ball and, in one motion, bounced a pass between his legs to a trailing Rashard Lewis for a layin, a foul and a free throw.
Lewis left the game six minutes before halftime after taking an elbow to the face from LA’s Corey Maggette. Lewis, who was bleeding from a gash in his lip, returned late in the third quarter after receiving eight stitches.
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