SEATTLE – The Seattle SuperSonics were close – oh, so close – to clinching the Northwest Division title on Wednesday night.
In the end, though, it was another loss and another missed chance to wrap up the elusive crown.
The visiting Dallas Mavericks eased away midway through the fourth quarter and managed to hold off the Sonics in the late moments for a 95-90 victory at KeyArena. The loss, before a KeyArena crowd of 16,502, was Seattle’s sixth in a row.
The Sonics got an obvious boost with the return of three players who have missed recent games with injuries. The list includes forward Rashard Lewis, who was sidelined eight games with a severe bone bruise in his right foot; guard Antonio Daniels, who sat out three games with a sore right knee; and forward Danny Fortson, who missed two games with a sprained left shoulder.
Still, it wasn’t enough to defeat the Mavericks, who came in having won 12 of their past 14 games. leading by one point in the last minute, Dallas got consecutive baskets by Seattle native Jason Terry and 7-foot forward Dirk Nowitzki to go on top by four.
Seattle’s last gasp went awry when guard Ray Allen missed a 3-point try with 14 seconds to play. Nowitzki was fouled on the rebound battle and dropped in two free throws, icing the outcome, though Daniels added a meaningless layin in the closing seconds.
For the Sonics, 12 days have now passed since they dropped their magic number for clinching the Northwest Division title to one by beating Portland on April 1. Since then Seattle has lost six straight games, while runner-up Denver has won eight in a row – including a 116-102 victory over visiting New Orleans on Wednesday – in the same span.
The Nuggets now trail Seattle by three games in the ever-tightening division chase.
The Sonics will try again on Friday night when New Orleans arrives in Seattle. Denver also plays on Friday, hosting Memphis, and a Sonics win or a Nuggets loss in those games would give Seattle its first division title since the 1997-98 season, when the Sonics went 61-21 to finish tied with the Los Angeles Lakers atop the Pacific Division.
The Mavericks were led by Nowitzki, who made nine straight shots in one stretch of the second half on his way to 31 points. Terry, a graduate of Franklin High School, contributed 15 points
Seattle burst to an early 7-2 lead, but the Mavericks quickly got untracked with a 14-2 scoring of their own. After the Sonics replied with five straight points, Dallas ran off another seven in a row for a nine-point margin and by the end of the period it was 25-17.
The lead eventually reached 35-23, Dallas’ largest of the first half, and the outlook was bleak due to Seattle struggling at both ends of the court. Then, suddenly, they found their stride and it was Lewis who led the way. After missing his first five shots – four in the first period, one in the second – he dropped in three in a row, including a 3-pointer. He added another field goal later in the quarter, giving him nine at the half, and the spree helped Seattle close within one point, 46-45 at the break.
Early in the third period, the Sonics dug themselves another hole. Dallas quickly rattled off 10 unanswered points to build a 56-45 margin, and again Seattle was in danger of letting the game get out again. And again, Seattle pecked away at the deficit, finally drawing into a tie in the late seconds on a 3-pointer from the left baseline by backup forward Damien Wilkins.
Dallas’ Jerry Stackhouse followed with a long jump shot moments later, pushing the visitors back on top, 72-70, heading into the final quarter.
Lewis, who rode an exercise bike near the Sonics bench whenever he left the game, finished with 12 points, while Daniels had 17.
Ahead for the Sonics is a Friday night game against New Orleans, Seattle’s final home contest of the regular season. Seattle closes its schedule with games at Minnesota on Sunday, Dallas on Tuesday and Houston on Wednesday.
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