|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME FLOW
SEATTLE (AP) -- Chris Webber doesn't think much of Vin Baker's
game, be it basketball or ballet.
Baker got the worst of their budding feud Wednesday night,
getting ejected after trading elbows with Webber in the fourth
quarter of Seattle's comeback 89-85 victory over the Sacramento
Kings.
|  | | Gary Payton, pressured by the Kings' Jason Williams, had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the Sonics' win. |
"I'm not even going to waste my breath saying his name,"
Webber said of Baker. "I just hope I can become as good of an
actor as he is, like in "The Nutcracker,"' he said, referring to
Baker's cameo appearance this week in the Pacific Northwest
Ballet's production of the holiday classic.
Baker did not give interviews after the game.
Baker and Webber both were ejected after an altercation in the
fourth quarter of the teams' last meeting Nov. 25, a 125-101 Kings
victory in Sacramento.
"We kind of expected that with Vin and Webber. Those guys are
competitors, and it will be the same way Saturday when we go down
to Sacramento," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said.
Webber fueled the fire after the Nov. 25 game by calling Baker
"the softest power forward in the league." He could be seen
whispering heatedly into Baker's ear after Baker fouled him hard
down low in the first quarter Wednesday night.
Webber also received a flagrant foul for knocking Ruben
Patterson to the floor on a transition dunk attempt late in the
third quarter, and a technical foul for arguing with a referee.
Baker finished with nine points and one rebound in 20 minutes,
while Webber led Sacramento with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Gary Payton had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, including
10 points in a 23-10 third-quarter run for Seattle that closed a
15-point deficit and set the stage for the to-the-wire finish.
"We just fought back," Patterson said. "In
the second half, we just brought a lot of energy, and we got the
win."
The Kings led by as many as seven midway through the fourth
quarter before the Sonics went on an 8-0 run. Rashard Lewis scored
four points and Patrick Ewing hit a 5-footer to give Seattle an
86-85 lead with just under three minutes left.
Ewing hit one of two free throws after being fouled by Vlade
Divac with 1:11 left, and Shammond Williams hit a jumper off a feed
from Payton for the winning margin.
Predrag Stojakovic missed an open 3-pointer and Doug Christie's
shot was blocked in the final minute for Sacramento.
Patterson added 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Sonics, while
Rashard Lewis had 15 points and nine boards and Ewing had 12 and 11.
Lawrence Funderburke was the only other player in double figures
for the Kings, who shot just 11-for-39 from the field in the second
half after going 21-for-42 in the first.
The Kings (17-7) came in having won four straight, including
Tuesday's 106-72 victory over the Washington Wizards.
The Sonics (14-12) moved two games over .500 for the first time
this season.
Seattle missed seven consecutive shots midway through the second
quarter, finishing the first half shooting just 17-for-53. Payton
was 2-for-14 in the half, including 0-for-5 from 3-point range.
Stojakovic had 15 points in the first half on 6-for-7 shooting,
as the Kings closed with a 53-40 lead.
Game notes
The two teams' last meeting Nov. 25 was the last game for
Sonics head coach Paul Westphal, who was fired Nov. 27 after a 6-9
start. ... Sacramento has posted the best opening in franchise
history. ... Payton started his 340th consecutive game. ... The
triple-double was Payton's second of this season and 12th in his
career.
|
|
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Sacramento Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
Kings' king: Adelman gets second contract extension in three months
RECAPS
Boston 99
New Jersey 86
Toronto 99
Indiana 98
Charlotte 65
Miami 56
Dallas 106
Portland 101
Utah 91
Philadelphia 89
San Antonio 94
Cleveland 77
Denver 108
Detroit 106
Seattle 89
Sacramento 85
Vancouver 118
Washington 104
LA Clippers 103
Minnesota 96
|
