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Saturday, Mar. 18 10:00pm ET
Blazers nip Sonics in final seconds | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
SEATTLE (AP) -- Scottie Pippen prefers taking the ball to the basket in tight situations. That translated into a victory for the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night. Pippen's two free throws with 7.7 seconds left, and Brent Barry's missed 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Trail Blazers a 97-96 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics.
"You can't look for a jump shot at that stage of the game," Pippen said. "You need to take the ball to the basket." Pippen finished with just seven points, but he came through with the game on the line. The Sonics tried to win the game from long distance. Barry had a wide-open 3-point shot from the corner, but shot an air ball. Time ran out before either team could control the rebound. "We got lucky," Blazers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "They got one of the options they were looking for, but it was a low percentage shot. It is not as good as something close to the basket." Sonics coach Paul Westphal was comfortable with Barry taking the final shot. "If Brent's shot goes in, we win. I'll take that any time," Westphal said. "It was a wide-open shot for a great shooter." Pippen inbounded the ball with 16.6 seconds left and received a return pass, then drove from the left side and was fouled by Gary Payton. Rashard Lewis made one of two free throws with 17 seconds left to give the Sonics a 96-95 lead. Lewis missed the second shot and the Blazers set up for the last shot. "I knew I was going to get both of them," Lewis said. "But only of them fell." The Sonics also struggled from the line, going only 14-of-23. The Blazers were 19-of-21. Rasheed Wallace led the Blazers with 24 points, and Bonzi Wells added 23. Payton led the Sonics with 24 points, and Ruben Patterson added 15. Neither Payton nor Barry were available after the game. Arvydas Sabonis had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers. The game may have been a preview of a possible playoff matchup, as the Blazers are third in the Western Conference and the Sonics are sixth. Wallace beat the shot clock with an 18-foot jumper for a 95-93 lead. The Sonics tied the game at 95 on a jump shot by Vin Baker. Damon Stoudamire turned the ball over on Portland's next possession, and Baker passed the ball to Payton but his shot was blocked by Pippen. Lewis rebounded and was fouled. The Sonics got back-to-back baskets from Lewis in a 9-0 run for an 89-83 lead with 4:58 left in the game. Wallace's putback basket gave Portland a 77-75 lead after three quarters. The Sonics led 64-60 when Steve Smith was knocked woozy by a pick by Horace Grant. Wells entered the game and the Blazers picked up the pace as Wells scored seven of Portland's next nine points. His layup put the Blazers up 69-68 with 3:51 left in the third period. The Sonics led 58-54 at halftime. They outscored Portland 39-28 during the second period and shot 15-of-21 from the field. Payton went scoreless and missed both his attempts during the first quarter. He found the range with 16 points and four assists in the second quarter and the Sonics rallied from a 10-point deficit to retake the lead 51-48 with 2:14 left in the first half. Game notesThe Sonics activated Lazaro Borrell and put Emanual Davis on the injured list with a damaged facial nerve. ... The Sonics picked up the pace from the outside during the second period, connecting on 4-of-5 from 3-point range. ... Wallace picked up his NBA-leading 29th technical foul in the third quarter. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Portland Clubhouse Seattle Clubhouse RECAPS New Jersey 92 Milwaukee 90
Portland 97
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