Sonics Update

As a younger player, Sonics forward Rashard Lewis always wondered about players who took time off because of tendinitis.

Now he knows.

“I always thought tendinitis was a (bogus) injury because I’ve never had it,” said Lewis, who sat out his second straight game Sunday because of soreness in his left knee. “Now that I’ve experienced it, I can see why.”

Lewis, Seattle’s second-leading scorer (20.6 points per game) and third-leading rebounder (5.6), has battled the painful inflammation for a few weeks, but it became particularly acute during back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Clippers last week. Lewis played 24 minutes in a Tuesday home game, scoring just nine points with no rebounds, then played just 18 first-half minutes in the rematch Wednesday in Los Angeles, scoring four points.

“The game (in L.A.) was the worst it’s been,” Lewis said. “It was hurting a lot and I couldn’t do nothing. Since then I’ve stopped playing and been treating it, and day by day it’s been getting a lot better. The main thing is I don’t want to get back out there, re-aggravate it and be injured for another 10 games. I’ll be going half-speed and not be able to compete at the level I want to compete at.”

Lewis said he hopes to play Tuesday against Denver, but said there is no way to know when his knee will be better.

“I just wake up in the morning and see how it feels,” said Lewis, who watched Sunday’s game in street clothes from the Sonics bench. “I go to practice and see if I can run. It’s continuing to get better. … But with me being one of the leaders on this team, I just can’t sit on the side and watch my team play. It’s my responsibility to go out and help them win ballgames.”

Lewis wants to avoid the injured list, which requires players to miss a minimum of five games.

“I want to be out there,” he said, “but the main thing is to get healthy at the same time.”

Big on the boards: The Sonics finished Sunday night’s game with 50 rebounds, which was four below their season high, and 17 offensive rebounds, which was one off a season best. Seattle’s rebound margin of 19 (Cleveland had just 31 rebounds) was a season high.

“We pretty much controlled the boards,” Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. “We scored more second-chance points than they did, and I thought that was the difference in the game.”

At halftime, Cleveland already had 11 offensive rebounds – the Cavaliers finished with 18 – and McMillan “got on us at halftime about that,” Seattle forward Danny Fortson said. “We have some pride in here, and so we went out there and went to work in the second half.”

“They had a lot of second-chance points in the first half,” forward Vlade Radmanovic said. “Nate wasn’t angry, but he was saying, ‘They’re not going to beat us, we’re going to beat ourselves if we don’t go get the ball.’ And he was right.”

Night of highs: Seattle guard Luke Ridnour had a career-high scoring night against Cleveland with 18 points. Six of those points came from the free-throw line in the last half minute. Ridnour finished 9-for-9 at the stripe, also setting career bests for attempts and makes.

Also, forward Vlade Radmanovic had a season-high 11 rebounds, three off his career high. And, under negative news, guard Ray Allen had a season-high six turnovers.

Sweet swat: The defensive play of the game probably goes to Sonics center Jerome James. Early in the game, Cleveland’s Ira Newble had an apparent breakaway dunk, but James, trailing the play, went up to deflect the ball as Newble started his dunking motion.

“We’re not giving up no free layups,” James said. “Nothing easy.”

By the numbers: The sellout crowd was Seattle’s ninth of the season. … The Sonics improved to 18-2 this season when they score at least 100 points. … The outcome ended Seattle’s three-game losing streak to the Cavaliers, dating back to the 2002-03 season. … Radmanovic topped 20 points (he had 23) for the seventh time this season, and his 11 rebounds gave him his second double-double. … Seattle has won four straight at KeyArena.

Rich Myhre