Watson’s triple-double leads Sonics to win

Published 11:27 pm Wednesday, February 6, 2008

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jason Kidd 98, Earl Watson 1.

For one night the Seattle SuperSonic point guard matched one his boyhood idols growing up in Kidd, notching his first career triple-double in the NBA.

Watson finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in helping the Sonics dismantle the Sacramento Kings 105-92 at Arco Arena Wednesday night. Watson was cruelly accurate, finishing 9-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

“For a point guard it’s big,” Watson said about the accomplishment. “I put a lot of emphasis on doing everything, like rebounding and defending and assists, and then trying to get double digits in points. So that’s big for me.”

He clinched the triple double with perhaps his easiest assist on the night, hitting Kurt Thomas with a easy chest pass on the wing, with the veteran draining a 20-foot jumper.

Ray Allen was the last Sonic to tally a triple-double, finishing with 18 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 28, 2004.

Watson’s final rebound also came within the last two minutes, as he stole a loose rebound from Sacramento’s Quincy Douby and threw it off his leg before falling out-of-bounds.

With the game already decided, Seattle players cheered when Watson got his last assist, and gathered around Watson to congratulate him right after the buzzer sounded.

“That’s a great achievement, especially for a point guard to come and get a triple-double,” Chris Wilcox said. “We all wanted him to get it so we had to let him know. I’m just happy for him, and hopefully he can build in that and keep playing the way he’s been playing.”

Added Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo: “He was unbelievable. He distributed the ball. He rebounded. He defended really well and he made big shots.”

Watson’s outstanding performance helped the Sonics snap a 14-game losing streak on the road, dating back to a Dec. 14 win at Minnesota. The Sonics also notched their fourth win in their past five games, and the first win over the Kings in three meetings this season.

Strong defense, crisp offensive execution and an excellent transition game keyed Seattle’s victory.

The Sonics (13-36) shot 52.6 percent from the field while holding the Kings (22-25) to 36.7 percent shooting from the floor. The Sonics also finished with 19 fast-break points. Along with Watson, Kevin Durant finished with 17 points and five assists, while Wilcox notched his 12th double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. Thomas added 13 points and eight rebounds.

After struggling defensively in the first quarter with the Kings taking a 29-25 lead, the Sonics switched to zone, effectively keeping Sacramento out of the paint and forcing them to become a jump-shooting team.

“Sometimes in the zone it wasn’t textbook,” Watson said. “We just hustled and covered for one another and made it work. And that was the key thing — our determination to make it work.”

Carlesimo credited his team’s solid interior defense by Seattle’s big men.

“For most of the time when guys drove we contested shots really well,” he said. “There weren’t a lot of easy things happening at the rim.”

The Sonics trailed 49-48 at halftime, but Seattle took control in the third quarter, going on a 16-6 run to open the second half and taking a 64-55 lead.

Seattle native Spencer Hawes played well for the Kings, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.

Fastbreaks: Conversation in Seattle’s locker room before the game revolved around Phoenix’s blockbuster trade that sent Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami in return for aging All-Star Shaquille O’Neal. Seattle center Kurt Thomas, who’s absence from Phoenix may have precipitated a need for the Suns to go out and get a physical, defense presence, had this to say about O’Neal: “As long as he’s out there on the floor he’s going to always demand a double team. And with those shooters around him he’s definitely a great addition.”