Sonics continue to roll
SEATTLE – The look on New Jersey Nets center Alonzo Mourning’s face early in the second quarter Friday night told it all. Mourning was defending a Seattle SuperSonics pick-and-roll, and he left his man, Danny Fortson, to help cover Antonio Daniels. Fortson then slipped behind Mourning down the lane, caught a pass from Daniels and easily laid it in.
Mourning screamed an obscenity and looked at teammate Rodney Buford, – who failed to rotate. As the teams ran to the other end of the floor, Mourning shoved Fortson in frustration and picked up an obvious offensive foul.
It was that kind of night, and has been that kind of season, for both these teams – the Sonics skating to another victory, 92-79, before a sellout of 17,072 fans at KeyArena as New Jersey lost its eighth straight.
Less than a year ago, Mourning got a kidney transplant, and said that any time on the floor right now is a gift, given what he has been through. But Mourning could not have forseen that joining a team that has been dismantled for salary cap purposes, and is missing All-Star point guard Jason Kidd, would be this painful.
More likely, he pictured joining a team like what the Sonics have become, a concise, disciplined, consistent group that has embarked upon a journey that has taken them to the best record in the league (12-2).
The only negative for Seattle was that Rashard Lewis left the game in the third quarter with a strained left shoulder and did not return.
It is the same shoulder that Lewis dislocated several years ago and that continues to bother him every year. Lewis continues to go through strengthening exercises to fortify the shoulder, but every year it gets tweaked.
Last season, however, he injured the shoulder in what looked like a serious incident but then never missed any time. He missed two games but neither was a result of the shoulder.
Sonics coach Nate McMillan said Lewis could have returned had the game been close but he kept him out as a precaution.
In retrospect, it was easy to see the outcome of this one coming.
Entering the game, the Sonics were tied for fifth in the league in scoring and were second in the league in 3-point field goal percentage.
Meanwhile, the Nets were last in the league in scoring and leading the league in turnovers per game.
The only question was whether the Sonics were going to have any ill effects from the 10-day road trip they just completed.
Given their shooting performance, it appeared the Sonics were weary.
They made only 39 percent of their shots.
But it didn’t matter a great deal against the Nets, who missed eight of their first nine shots, 16 of their first 18 and committed 10 first-half turnovers.
By the time Mourning’s frustration mounted in the second quarter, the game was all but over, with Seattle improving to 6-0 at home. New Jersey made a run in the third quarter, cutting a 21-point lead to six points. But a Vladimir Radmanovic four-point play put Seattle back in control for good.
Ray Allen, continuing to fight a cold that had him coughing up phlegm before the game, was not crisp, but he still finished with 19 points.
What has been so impressive about the Sonics early this season is that when Allen, Lewis or both are off, the Sonics have found other ways to win games.
On this night, they simply outworked New Jersey, with Reggie Evans and Danny Fortson once again contributing rugged, demanding play in the paint.
“This has been basically the story of the entire season,” McMillan said.
“We have had other guys make some plays in timely situations that have gotten us the lead or extended the lead and help us win games.”
Fortson was the team’s leading scorer, getting 20 points off the bench to go along with eight rebounds.
SuperSonics 92, Nets 79
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| NEWJERSEY | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| EWilliams | 32 | 6-13 | 8-11 | 2-5 | 1 | 5 | 20 |
| Mourning | 24 | 3-7 | 2-4 | 4-8 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| Collins | 25 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| Best | 40 | 3-11 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Jefferson | 40 | 6-19 | 9-10 | 2-7 | 2 | 3 | 21 |
| Scalabrine | 24 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2-9 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Buford | 23 | 3-9 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Krstic | 14 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Planinic | 8 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| AWilliams | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vaughn | 4 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Storey | 4 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals | 240 | 28-71 | 22-32 | 15-40 | 8 | 31 | 79 |
Percentages: FG .394, FT .688.
3-Point Goals: 1-8, .125 (Buford 1-4, Best 0-1, E.Williams 0-1, Jefferson 0-2).
Team Rebounds: 16. Team Turnovers: 18 (14 PTS).
Blocked Shots: 5 (Mourning 3, Collins, Krstic).
Turnovers: 17 (Mourning 5, Collins 2, Jefferson 2, Best 2, Buford 2, Krstic 2, Planinic, Vaughn).
Steals: 7 (Best 2, E.Williams 2, Planinic, Mourning, Buford).
Technical Fouls: Defensive Three Second, 10:37 first; Scalabrine, 3:47 second; Coach Frank, 3:47 second.
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| SEATTLE | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Evans | 23 | 1-4 | 1-2 | 4-11 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Lewis | 27 | 3-12 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| James | 11 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Allen | 41 | 5-19 | 8-9 | 1-4 | 3 | 1 | 19 |
| Ridnour | 38 | 3-10 | 2-3 | 2-3 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Radmanovic | 31 | 5-12 | 1-1 | 1-6 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
| Daniels | 28 | 1-5 | 5-8 | 1-5 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| Fortson | 22 | 6-7 | 8-9 | 4-8 | 0 | 5 | 20 |
| Collison | 12 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Swift | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wilkins | 3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cleaves | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 240 | 30-76 | 26-34 | 16-43 | 14 | 26 | 92 |
Percentages: FG .395, FT .765.
3-Point Goals: 6-16, .375 (Radmanovic 3-5, Lewis 2-4, Allen 1-5, Daniels 0-1, Ridnour 0-1).
Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: 13 (11 PTS).
Blocked Shots: 4 (Lewis, Evans, Collison, Daniels).
Turnovers: 13 (Allen 5, Radmanovic 4, Ridnour 2, Evans, Fortson).
Steals: 7 (Allen 3, Radmanovic 2, Ridnour 2).
Technical Fouls: Fortson, 4:28 fourth.
| New Jersey | 8 | 19 | 24 | 28—79 |
| Seattle | 21 | 27 | 15 | 29—92 |
A—17,072 (17,072). T—2:18.