SEATTLE – Evidently, utter humiliation can be a big motivator.
Two nights after being thoroughly embarrassed in their 2004-05 season opener, the Seattle SuperSonics bounced back with a decidedly better effort – and certainly a better outcome – as they made their home debut Friday night with a glittering 106-85 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at KeyArena.
Behind the 25 points of All-Star guard Ray Allen, the Sonics put forth a showing that should ease the memory of Wednesday night’s woeful 32-point loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles.
“We should have been embarrassed by that performance, but tonight we responded with a better effort,” said Seattle coach Nate McMillan. “We played like we really wanted this game.
“When you play with the hustle and the scrappiness that we came out with tonight,” he added, “it doesn’t guarantee you a win, but it certainly will give you a loss if you don’t. That’s the difference for any NBA team, but definitely for us.”
The Sonics were sharp from the outset, with Allen dropping in four of his first five field goal tries and forward Reggie Evans scrapping for five early rebounds. Atlanta matched Seattle in the opening minutes – there were 10 lead changes and five ties in the first half – but by halftime the Sonics had a 53-46 lead and were on top to stay.
“If we don’t play like this, we’re in trouble,” Evans said. “We have to hustle, we have to scrap, we have to dive for loose balls because that’s the only way we’re going to win.”
The lead reached double digits for good late in the third quarter and continued to grow through the final 12 minutes, reaching a high of 27 points in the game’s final moments.
“It was great to be home,” said Seattle guard Antonio Daniels. “The fans were going crazy, and there was a lot of electricity and atmosphere. … We were able to put Wednesday’s game behind us and tonight we played well.”
Allen was Seattle’s scoring leader, but he got plenty of backing from his teammates. Forward Rashard Lewis chipped in 23 points and five rebounds, and Evans totaled 11 points and a team-best nine rebounds.
Lewis had perhaps the game’s most dazzling play in the late moments of the first half. As a Luke Ridnour shot bounced high off the rim, Lewis broke to the basket along the left baseline and soared to the rim. He snagged the errant shot with one hand, then flushed it with two, drawing roars from the crowd.
Another contributor was Danny Fortson, who missed Wednesday’s opener with back spasms. Fortson, a beefy forward acquired in an offseason trade with Dallas for center Calvin Booth, played 14 minutes and had nine points (he was 3-for-3 from both the field and the free throw line) and five rebounds.
“We could go down the line with guys who played well,” McMillan said.
There was an interesting moment late in the game when 18-year-old rookie center Robert Swift entered for the first time. He was briefly guarded by Atlanta’s Kevin Willis, 24 years his senior. Willis was in his second NBA season the year Swift was born.
The Hawks have two former Sonics on the roster, both in primary roles. Starting guard Kenny Anderson was in Seattle for part of the 2002-03 season, while backup center Peja Drobnjak spent the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons with the Sonics.
During a first-half timeout, Seattle Storm coach Anne Donovan was introduced to the KeyArena crowd, receiving a standing ovation. A month ago, Donovan guided the Storm to the WNBA championship.
This was an important win for the Sonics because the upcoming schedule is rugged. Seattle hosts San Antonio on Sunday, travels to Denver for a meeting with the much-improved Nuggets on Tuesday, then returns home to take on Sacramento on Wednesday.
For the Hawks it was their second straight blowout loss, following their 112-82 opening-night defeat in Phoenix on Wednesday.
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