Opponent: Los Angeles Lakers

When: 7 p.m.

Where: KeyArena, Seattle

TV: FSN (cable)

Radio: KJR (950 AM)

Probable starters: For Seattle – forwards Rashard Lewis (6 feet, 10 inches) and Reggie Evans (6-8), center Jerome James (7-1), guards Ray Allen (6-5) and Luke Ridnour (6-2). For Los Angeles – forwards Lamar Odom (6-10) and Caron Butler (6-7), center Chris Mihm (7-0), guards Kobe Bryant (6-7) and Chucky Atkins (5-11).

Next game: Phoenix at Seattle, 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Murray might play against Lakers tonight

Sonics coach Nate McMillan said he expects guard Ronald “Flip” Murray to play tonight. Murray and center Vitaly Potapenko were both activated from the injured list before Saturday’s game with Boston, but neither played.

Against the Lakers, “I think Ronald will see some time” backing up Ray Allen, McMillan said. “I think we’ll try to get him in and get him into the rotation.”

As far as minutes for Murray in upcoming games, he added, “we’ll go by feel. Nothing is set in stone.”

The idea, McMillan went on, is to cut Allen’s playing time from 40.6 minutes a game, which has him among the league leaders. A better number, he said, would be about 37 minutes per night.

“It just depends on how we’re playing,” McMillan said. “But I won’t worry about minutes. (Allen) doesn’t seem to be fatigued or bothered by the minutes he’s playing.”

For now, Potapenko may have to wait to get into the regular rotation since “our bigs are still doing pretty good,” McMillan said. Even so, that puts Seattle’s rotation at 10, which might be more than the coach prefers. If the rotation is trimmed, or if someone’s minutes are cut, he said, it will probably be backup forward Nick Collison.

Ideally, McMillan said, the rotation “will not change game to game.” For now, though, “I have to get a feel for Ronald being in the rotation … and that’s going to take some time. It’s also going to take some adjusting on the players’ parts and it’s going to take me some time to get comfortable with a four-guard rotation and possibly a 10-player rotation.”

Crash landing: There was a scary moment in Mondays practice-ending scrimmage. Guard Luke Ridnour drove to the basket on a fast break and was upended by Nick Collison, causing Ridnour to land flush on his left side. The gym immediately grew quiet as everyone waited to see if he was hurt.

Ridnour needed a few moments, but eventually got up and finished the workout. Later he shot baskets with Collison, his good friend, and seemed to have no ill effects.

“That was a hard one,” McMillan said. “Luke’s a tough guy, but you don’t want to see anybody get their feet cut out.”

Wait and see: McMillan knows that many people around the NBA are still skeptical about the Sonics.

“I expect that until April,” he said, citing the end of the regular season. “We’ve done some good things, but it’s a long season and we have to continue (improving). In April, that’s when you can make the point. Or we will make our point.”

The Sonics general manager Rick Sund, meanwhile, is enjoying Seattle’s brisk start, though he is also cautious.

“I said from last June until today that we could be a very respectable basketball team and that we had a legitimate shot to make the playoffs,” Sund said. “And I also say that in two or three years we could be a really good basketball team when some of our young players like Rashard (Lewis) and Luke and Nick and Vlade (Radmanovic) get into their prime.”

Rich Myhre, Herald Writer