By Greg Beacham
Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. – Three days after their most embarrassing loss of the season, the Seattle SuperSonics gave an effort that made their coach proud.
Rashard Lewis scored 25 points, and Gary Payton had 20 points and nine assists as the Sonics snapped a three-game losing streak with a 113-87 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.
The Sonics scraped the bottom of their inconsistent season with a 97-91 home loss to lowly Chicago on Saturday night. They turned everything around against the equally dismal Warriors with solid shooting, passing and defense – everything coach Nate McMillan loves to see.
“It was important for us to finish a game strong,” McMillan said. “The last few games, we played for a half or three quarters. Tonight, we did everything the right way and finished strong.”
Vladimir Radmanovic had career-highs of 19 points and nine rebounds, while Brent Barry scored 21 points as Seattle got back above .500 by handing Golden State its fifth straight loss.
Lewis’ 10-for-12 shooting and Payton’s outstanding all-around game in front of his hometown fans keyed the Sonics’ 11th straight victory over the last-place Warriors. Seattle, which heads to the All-Star break after tonight’s game in Phoenix, hopes to keep things on the right foot.
“We knew what we were doing wrong: The three games we lost at home were no defense, no rebounding,” Payton said. “We came back and we did that tonight, and we had fun. We know what we have to do.”
In their final game before seven straight days off, the Warriors gave one of their worst performances of another disappointing season. Except for Danny Fortson, who had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Golden State posed little challenge to Seattle in its 15th loss in 17 games.
The Sonics were good, but the Warriors also were really bad.
“You don’t learn anything from a game like that,” Warriors coach Brian Winters said. “We didn’t compete tonight. It’s as simple as that. We get paid to be professional and perform every night, so there’s no excuse for tonight.”
Starting late in the first quarter, Seattle scored 16 straight points – many on uncontested shots – to begin a 25-6 run. Golden State shot 20 percent in the first quarter, and the Sonics led by 28 shortly before halftime.
The Sonics kept a wide lead throughout the second half, with Barry and Lewis hitting outside shots with a consistency the Warriors never have shown this season. Seattle was mindful of its earlier trip to Oakland this season, when the Sonics blew a 20-point lead in the second half before winning in overtime.
“At halftime, we talked about what happened the last game,” Lewis said. “We couldn’t let them come all the way back on us. Those are the things you have to forget about, but you have to learn from.”
Seattle won its third straight road game, emptying its bench early in the fourth quarter. Radmanovic got extra playing time in the absence of Vin Baker, who sat on the bench in street clothes after his sprained left shoulder kept him out of the lineup.
There was plenty of blame to go around for the Warriors, who made 17 turnovers and shot 35 percent in the first half.
Leading scorer Antawn Jamison had seven points on 1-of-7 shooting, while Erick Dampier and Adonal Foyle combined for just six points in the middle as Marc Jackson served the second game of his suspension for blasting general manager Garry St. Jean.
Jamison, rookie Jason Richardson and Larry Hughes were a combined 8-for-28 from the field. Chris Mills scored 17 points, but many came after the game was long decided.
“This right here was a joke,” Mills said. “We need to come back in the second half of the season and be focused, because it wasn’t there. I don’t even see us having fun out there.”
The Warriors couldn’t even score 5-on-3 in the second quarter after Radmanovic and Barry collided in the backcourt. While Radmanovic clutched his face on the floor, Hughes missed an uncontested layup.
After his collision with Barry, Radmanovic went to the locker room with a bleeding mouth, but he returned to the game.
Between the first and second quarters, a small, lightweight reflector panel from the lighting equipment fell from the overhead scoreboard, narrowly missing one of the Warriors’ dancers at center court.
Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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