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Tuesday, Nov. 30 10:00pm ET
Shaq, Rice power Lakers past Sonics | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
SEATTLE (AP) -- The Los Angeles Lakers didn't get a good night's sleep because of protesters gearing up for the opening of the World Trade Organization meeting. They took it out on the Seattle SuperSonics. Shaquille O'Neal had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Glen Rice added 19 points as the Lakers beat the SuperSonics 101-77 Tuesday night.
Ruben Patterson, who played for the Lakers last season, led the Sonics with 19 points. Gary Payton did not play in the final quarter and finished with 12 points for Seattle, which lost its first home game after six wins. "It was a loud day," said O'Neal. "I heard a lot of drumming and I didn't want to have to think about it so I tried to sleep through it, but they kept waking me up. When I finally woke up this morning, I had a headache." Sonics officials said the game was not in jeopardy of being postponed despite the violent protests in downtown Seattle. "We talked to the league and they were well versed on the WTO situation," said Sonics executive John Dresel. "This was an NBA decision to play the game, not a Sonics decision. It was the right decision." The attendance was announced as a sellout of 17,072, but there were a lot of empty seats at Key Arena as many fans apparently stayed home because of concerns about the WTO protests. Lakers coach Phil Jackson said it reminded him of protests in the 1960s. "It was amusing to a point, then it became a distraction," Jackson said. On the way to the game from their hotel, the Lakers team bus had a police escort. WTO protesters apparently thought the bus contained WTO delegates because of the police presence and some pounded the sides of the vehicle. "I think they mistook us for somebody else," said Ron Harper. The Lakers improved to 11-4 with their third straight win. The Sonics also are 11-4. Horace Grant and Vin Baker both tried to guard the 7-foot-1 O'Neal, but they were overmatched. Grant played with O'Neal in Orlando for two seasons, from 1994-96. "The big guy has gotten so much better," Grant said. "It's unbelievable. He's got a hook shot now, he passes out of the double-teams better and even makes a few free throws." Baker said he was disappointed by the Sonics' performance against one of the league's top teams. "I know everybody was waiting for us to get kicked and then to say we're not a good team," he said. "But it's an 82-game season and we'll see the Lakers again." O'Neal opened the Los Angeles scoring in the final quarter with a pair of dunks and then took a seat on the bench with Rice. The Lakers broke out to an 87-62 lead after a three-point play by Brian Shaw with eight minutes to go. Los Angeles pulled away in the third quarter and took an 18-point lead on A.C. Green's 18-footer from the wing with five minutes left in the period. Harper hit a pair of 3-point shots in the final 1:41 of the quarter, and the Lakers led 75-59 going into the final period. The Lakers outscored the Sonics 19-4 in the final 5:35 of the first half to take a 52-39 halftime lead. The score was tied after Vin Baker made an 18-footer with 5:53 to go in the second quarter. After O'Neal sank a free throw, Rice made a 3-pointer to trigger the Lakers' run. Rice scored seven points in the spurt. The Sonics started off fast, taking a 21-10 lead on Payton's 3-pointer with 5:36 left in the opening period. But the Lakers scored the last eight points of the quarter to tie it 23-23. Game notesKobe Bryant, who hasn't played for the Lakers this season because of a broken hand, will be activated off the injured list Wednesday. ... The Sonics and Lakers split four games in last year's lockout-shortened season. ... Dresel said there were 50 extra security people at the game because of the WTO violence, boosting the number to 150. ... O'Neal blocked four shots. ... The Lakers outrebounded the Sonics 44-42. ... The Lakers are 6-1 in games in which they've scored 100 points or more this season. ... The Sonics' 77 points were a season low. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard LA Lakers Clubhouse Seattle Clubhouse RECAPS Atlanta 107 Toronto 89
LA Lakers 101
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