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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CLEVELAND (AP) – Shammond Williams knew he won the game the
instant he shot.
|  | | Seattle's Ruben Patterson passes around Cleveland's Robert Traylor in the first period. |
Williams' 18-foot jumper with less than one second left in
overtime gave the Seattle SuperSonics a 101-99 victory over the
Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
"I let it go and said to (Cavs defender) Lamond Murray, 'That's
it, game over,' " Williams said.
Gary Payton scored 27 points for Seattle, which snapped a
three-game losing streak. Williams finished with 19 points.
With three seconds left in overtime, Desmond Mason drove to the
top of the key and passed to Williams on his right. Williams hit an
arching shot from the wing, capping an 8-0 run. He then
rushed back toward his bench, jumped on the scorer's table, and was
mobbed by teammates.
"I didn't want to jump up there, but the fans were talking to
me throughout the game," Williams said. "It was something like,
'How do you like that?' Just some player-fan relationship."
Mason had blocked a layup attempt by Andre Miller with 16
seconds left, setting up Seattle's winning possession.
"He bumped me, but I didn't expect to get a call in a close
game," Miller said.
Mason said he was careful to avoid a foul.
"I hesitated for a minute, then saw him look at the rim and
went after it," he said. "It kept my body away from him, got my
hand on it, and we went the other way."
Murray led Cleveland with 21 points. Clarence Weatherspoon had
15 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who lost for the 14th
time in 16 games.
Payton scored six straight points as Seattle overcame a 99-93
deficit.
"He was determined to get to the basket," Cavs coach Randy
Wittman said. "We lost that edge when it counted. This was a game
we gave away at the end."
Cleveland native Ruben Patterson missed two free throws that
would have put Seattle ahead with 1:21 left. He finished with 22
points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Each team had a chance to win in the final seconds of
regulation.
With 6.1 seconds left, Mason drove down the lane, but tossed an
airball as Cleveland's Murray and Jim Jackson closed in.
After a timeout, Cleveland set up Wesley Person, who bobbled the
ball along the baseline, then missed everything with his shot as
time expired.
Payton made six of seven shots in the second quarter and had 18
points by halftime to help the Sonics close within 51-49.
Game notes
The Sonics spent much of the day calling relatives and
friends back home in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit
Seattle on Wednesday. "It was scary watching the coverage on
TV," coach Nate McMillan said. "We had some damage at my house,
some cracks and stuff, but everybody's OK." ... Miller got a
bloody nose 3:03 into the game when he ran into Vin Baker's right
hand. Miller returned in the second quarter. Baker suffered a
contusion on his left hand four minutes later and did not return.
... Seattle was without guards Brent Barry (strained left groin)
and Emanual Davis (sprained left ankle). ... Seattle has won 11
straight from the Cavs. The Sonics last lost in Cleveland on Nov.
27, 1993.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Seattle Clubhouse
Cleveland Clubhouse
RECAPS
Seattle 101
Cleveland 99
New York 95
Boston 88
Houston 108
Milwaukee 91
San Antonio 91
Phoenix 71
Portland 94
LA Clippers 81
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