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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
HOUSTON (AP) -- Vin Baker and the Seattle SuperSonics were feeling desperate.
|  | | With 26 points Wednesday, Gary Payton is just four points from passing Tom Van Arsdale for No. 100 on the NBA scoring list. |
Baker, Gary Payton, Brent Barry and Ruben Patterson led a
second-half charge as Seattle erased an 11-point deficit and beat
Houston 107-92 Wednesday night.
"After losing our last two, there was a sense of desperation,"
Baker said. "There is so much parity in this conference. We had to
have this game."
Seattle got its victory. Houston lost its fifth straight.
"They just overwhelmed us in the second half," Houston forward Maurice Taylor said. "Vin Baker was phenomenal, and Patterson and
the guards (Payton and Barry) really hurt us."
Payton had 26 points and 10 assists and Patterson added 23
points, including 13 in the second half, as the Sonics snapped a
two-game losing streak. Baker scored nine of his 11 points during a
20-11 Sonic run to start the third.
Leading 87-84, Payton hit a pair of 16-footers, Baker added a
turnaround jumper from the foul line and Barry added a 3-pointer as
the Sonics moved out to a 98-84 lead with 4:48 to play. Houston
couldn't get closer than eight points the rest of the way.
"It was like the dam broke and they just pulled away," Houston
coach Rudy Tomjanovich said.
The Rockets haven't won since beating Golden State, 98-95, on
Dec. 14 and haven't won at home since defeating Dallas, 109-102, on
Dec. 5.
"Our rotation out of the double-team was as good as I've seen
this year," Seattle coach Nate McMillan said. "We sucked it up
and played well in a tough place to play."
The Sonics found out before that game that starting guard Emanual Davis would not be able to play because of a sprained right knee. Barry started in place of Davis and finished with 18 points, including 11 in the second half.
"It's hard to beat teams when they spread it around like we did
tonight." Barry said. "Everyone got a piece of the pie."
Taylor led the Rockets with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Cuttino
Mobley added 18 points and Shandon Anderson and Hakeem Olajuwon
each had 15.
The Rockets took their largest lead of the half after Mobley and
Anderson finished back-to-back fast breaks off Seattle turnovers
and gave Houston a 43-31 lead with 6:58 left in the second quarter.
Payton then sparked a 15-2 Seattle run with six points that gave
the visitors their first lead of the game, 46-45, with 2:54 left in
the second. Houston led 52-50 at the half.
"We started out slow tonight, just like we did the last two
games, but the difference tonight is we picked up and got going,
especially in the second half," said Payton. "Our defense really did a good job, especially in the second
half.
The Rockets hit nine of their first 12 shots, with Taylor going
4-for-4 and Olajuwon contributing six points, as the Rockets built
an 18-8 lead midway through the first quarter. But the Rockets
misfired on eight of their next 12 shots, as the Sonics, behind
seven points by Patrick Ewing and Payton, cut the lead to 31-26 by
the end of the quarter.
Game notes
Seattle guard Emanual Davis did not dress because of a sprained right knee. Brent Barry started in place of Davis. ... Sonics center Jelani McCoy, who had missed the last two games because of a sprained left knee, returned to the starting lineup. ... The Rockets are 5-1 vs. Eastern Conference teams and 8-14 vs. Western Conference teams.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Seattle Clubhouse
Houston Clubhouse
RECAPS
New York 89
Washington 82
Miami 91
Indiana 79
Seattle 107
Houston 92
Philadelphia 118
Golden State 110
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Rudy Tomjanovich Official Site
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