Sonics rout Bobcats
Adam Morrison’s debut as a starter turned into a night of frustration.
Ray Allen scored 26 points and Rashard Lewis added 19 of his 21 in the second half to lead the Seattle SuperSonics to a 99-85 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats Friday night in Charlotte N.C., spoiling Morrison’s first NBA start.
Morrison, the No. 3 pick in the draft, was just 3 of 12 against the team from his home state as he started in place of the injured Raymond Felton. The former Gonzaga star missed all three of his shots in the decisive third quarter, including a layup on a fast break during Seattle’s 9-2 run early in the period that put the Sonics ahead to stay.
He managed only nine points and one rebound and failed to get to the free throw line.
“Right now, I’m not doing my job,” said Morrison, who is shooting 35 percent on the season. “I’m getting good shots, good looks, I’m just not performing right now. I’m letting my team down. I’m not hitting my floaters. I’m not even hitting my layups.”
Lewis, who was 0 for 2 from the field in the first half, scored 11 points in the third quarter, when the Sonics outscored the Bobcats 35-19 to erase a four-point deficit.
Lewis said a halftime speech by coach Bob Hill fired him up.
“He kind of jumped on my case a little bit,” Lewis said. “The game was pretty close, but he didn’t like our attitude and our facial expressions.
“In the first half, every time I caught the ball they were coming with a double team. In the second half, it didn’t seem they were coming as fast and I got a lot more shots.”
Chris Wilcox had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Seattle, which overcame 18 turnovers to win on the road for the first time in four tries.
Emeka Okafor had 20 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks, while Brevin Knight added 19 points for the Bobcats before he was ejected.
But Morrison never could get on track, missing a variety of long and short jumpers and runners. Coach Bernie Bickerstaff kept him on the bench for the first 7 minutes of the final quarter. When he finally sent him to the scorer’s table, the crowd responded with a sarcastic cheer. But Morrison’s next made shot came in the final minute as he failed to score in double figures for the first time.
“I’m playing the majority of the minutes at the wing spot, and I can’t seem to put the ball in the basket,” Morrison said. “I had three floaters that went in and out. It’s not the ball, it’s not the basket, it’s not the coach. It’s me.”
Allen, who was 4 of 6 from 3-point range, thinks Morrison will turn things around.
“He can definitely play,” Allen said. “He’s just going to learn as each game goes by. It’s also tougher when you have to guard somebody on the floor. It does take away from your offense.”
The Sonics, who won just 13 road games last season and were coming off a last-second loss in Orlando Wednesday, were never threatened in the final quarter, building a 17-point lead.
The Bobcats, who shot 40 percent, led by as many as six points in the first half behind Okafor, who had his third double-double.
But the Bobcats, who lost their second consecutive game, faded in the third quarter once the Sonics got the ball to Lewis, who was 6 of 10 in the second half.
“The third quarter set basketball back 20 years,” Bickerstaff said. “It was putrid. It was just awful.”
Knight, who moved over to point guard to replace Felton, added seven assists, but was ejected with 2:21 left after referee David Guthrie hit him with consecutive technical fouls.
“Every call made against our team, he made,” Knight said of Guthrie. “The other refs made good calls. Anything else that was called, the bad calls, he made.”
Pacers 93, Magic 83: At Indianapolis, Al Harrington tied a season high with 32 points, Danny Granger added 18 and Jermaine O’Neal grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Indiana to a victory over Orlando.
Wizards 116, Bucks 111: At Washington, Gilbert Arenas scored 13 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, and the Wizards overcame an 11-point deficit in the final period to beat Milwaukee.
Heat 113, Nets 106: At East Rutherford, N.J., Dwyane Wade scored 34 points, Udonis Haslem added a career-high 28 and Miami pulled away from New Jersey in the fourth quarter for a victory.
Nuggets 108, 76ers 101: At Philadelphia, Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points, Andre Miller added 18 and Marcus Camby had 10 points and 11 rebounds to lift Denver to a victory over the 76ers – its first of the season.
Hawks 111, Raptors 102: At Toronto, Joe Johnson scored a season-high 34 points and Josh Smith had a career-best 29 to lead Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta to a victory over Toronto.
Jazz 107, Celtics 100: At Boston, Deron Williams had 26 points and 14 assists, Carlos Boozer added 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Utah beat the Celtics for the first time in nearly three years.
Rockets 103, Knicks 94: At Houston, Yao Ming scored 35 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and matched a career high with seven blocks to lead the Rockets to a victory over New York.
Pistons 97, Lakers 83: At Los Angeles, Tayshaun Prince tied his career high with 31 points, Chauncy Billups added 21 and Detroit led nearly the entire game in beating the listless Lakers.
Trail Blazers 92, Hornets 91: At Portland, Zach Randolph had 31 points, 12 rebounds and made the winning free throw with 2.4 seconds left as the Trail Blazers rallied from a 27-point deficit to shock New Orleans.
Off the court
Los Angeles Lakers center Chris Mihm will undergo surgery Monday to repair a ligament and tendon in his right ankle, a procedure that will likely keep him sidelined for most of the season. … After declining tryout invitations because of a groin injury last season, Indiana’s Jermaine O’Neal said he is reconsidering joining Team USA. … Charlotte Bobcats assistant coach John-Blair Bickerstaff was suspended two games without pay by the NBA for driving while impaired. … Comcast-Spectacor said that it has decided to retain control of the Philadelphia 76ers after evaluating a possible sale or new partnership.