Poised Seattle rallies in second half to beat first-place Kings 89-85
By RICH MYHRE
Herald Writer
SEATTLE — The emotions were flying at KeyArena on Wednesday night, not to mention a stray elbow or two.
But in the end it was the two fundamentals of winning basketball — poise and execution — that carried the Seattle SuperSonics to a thrilling 89-85 victory over the Pacific Division-leading Sacramento Kings.
In a remarkably spirited second half, the Sonics erased a 13-point halftime deficit with an impressive defensive display and a huge margin in rebounds. Then, with the outcome on the line in the closing minutes, Seattle scored 11 unanswered points to run down the dazed visitors.
"This was just a solid effort," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "Everybody came to play.
"The guys," he added, "really showed what they’re made of."
There was more excitement, too, as Seattle’s Vin Baker and Sacramento’s Chris Webber renewed an individual rivalry dating back to a Nov. 25 meeting between the teams. That game, the last before former coach Paul Westphal was fired, saw both players ejected in the fourth quarter for bickering.
On Wednesday, Baker and Webber (each with an earlier technical foul) exchanged elbows midway through the final period. The first blow by Webber, which caught Baker on the chin, went undetected by the officials. Baker retaliated by brushing Webber with an elbow in the chest and referee Joey Crawford, who padded the NBA’s coffers by calling three technicals on the Sonics in the fourth quarter, sent Baker to the showers.
"We kind of expected (some fireworks) with Vin and Webber," McMillan said. "Those guys are competitors. But like I told the guys, ‘Don’t back down from anyone. We’re going to stand our ground, toe to toe, and if someone gets in your chest, you be a man and protect yourself."
Still, McMillan said, "Vin was playing very well for us and that could easily have gone against us. We got a little nervous when he got ejected."
Seattle trailed 74-72 when Baker went out, and Sacramento’s lead grew to 85-78 with 5 1/2minutes to play. The Kings seemed to have the momentum, but instead they finished the game with a flurry of missed shots and turnovers.
The Sonics drew within one point on a pair of offensive putbacks by Rashard Lewis and Ruben Patterson, then went in front on Patrick Ewing’s short baseline jump shot with just under three minutes to play. Still the Kings were unable to score — two more turnovers and a pair of missed shots — and when Shammond Williams slipped in a 3-pointer from the left wing inside the final minute, Seattle had a four-point edge.
Sacramento closed the game with two more misses, and the Sonics went off the court with arms raised in triumph.
There were dandy numbers all around for Seattle. Gary Payton, playing on an ailing knee that seemed to affect his shot (he was 9-for-30 from the field) finished with his second triple double of the season and the 13th of his career (including playoffs) with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Sacramento’s 32 second-half points tied a season low for a Seattle opponent.
The Sonics were boosted by a decisive 59-42 advantage in rebounds. Seattle’s 59 rebounds were a season high, as were the team’s 26 offensive rebounds. And Patterson finished with a game-high 15 rebounds, including nine offensive rebounds, both career bests.
"An unbelievable effort," McMillan said. "Ruben was a monster on the board. Nine offensive rebounds. Those are momentum plays that get the crowd into it, and you feed off the energy from the crowd. The fans were into it and we fed off that, and it just carried us on to this win."
"I just went out there and played hard," said Patterson, who added five assists, three steals and three blocked shots, and ignited the KeyArena sellout crowd with his energetic play.
"I definitely feed off the crowd," Patterson grinned. "I like the crowd getting into it. It gets me hyped and gets my blood moving."
The win was Seattle’s fourth in a row and eighth in 11 games since McMillan replaced Paul Westphal on Nov. 27. The Sonics have now drawn within four games of first place in the division chase.
"I don’t see any team that’s better than us," Ewing said. "We’re capable of playing with any team in the West, and now we’ve just got to step up and get the job done."
"We have a long ways to go," McMillan said, "but our guys see it and they really are trying to make it happen."
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