In one of the finest exhibitions of play in the NBA thus far this season, the Seattle Supersonics outlasted the Orlando Magic to defeat the tonight, 123-119, in two overtimes.

With 35 seconds left, the Magic took posession trailing by one following a traveling call against Gary Payton. As they did most of the two overtime periods, the Magic isolated star swingman Tracy McGrady. After driving to the lane, McGrady tried to pass out of a double team, but threw the ball out of bounds. With just 24.9 seconds remaining, the Magic were forced to foul. It took them four seconds to foul Payton twice. Payton, who finished with 32 points in 49 minutes of play, missed the first free throw and made the second, giving the Magic a chance to tie or win.

After a timeout, the Magic chose to bring the ball out of backcourt, and again went to McGrady. He drove to the lane again, but Sonic forward Vin Baker was able to alter the shot, and it went off the rim. A scrum for the rebound resulted in McGrady hitting it out of bounds, and the Sonics regained posession with 12.9 seconds left in the game. The Magic again intended to foul, but Brent Barry was able to get free with the ball, and the Sonics eventually worked it to Desmond Mason under the basket, who dunked to end the game for all intents and purposes. A Darrell Armstrong three was off at the buzzer as the Sonics celebrated the upset victory.

Both teams had a chance to win the game beforehand. At the end of the fourth quarter, the Magic took posession with the opportunity for the last shot. McGrady got the opportunity, dribbling out the clock before an 18-foot jumpshot over Mason fell short. In the first overtime, the Sonics gained posession in a tie game with just under 22 seconds left. After working the ball around, the Sonics ended up with a three point attempt for Rashard Lewis, which was off.

In the first half, the game started out as an Old West-style offensive shootout, with both teams shooting the ball over 50%. The Sonics were slightly better, exploting a 14-3 advantage in second chance points to take a 12 point lead, 66-54, to the lockerroom. In the third quarter, however, both teams went cold. The Magic started the half on a 7-0 run, but could never reclaim the lead, and the Sonics went to the fourth quarter up by a 79-71 margin. During the quarter, the Magic slowly chipped away, finally tying the game for the first time since 20-20 when two Pat Garrity free throws on a fast break tied the game at 100 apiece. Neither team scored for the remainder of regulation. The Sonics' Mason scored the first four points of overtime, but it was back and forth the rest of the way.

Despite missing the possible game winner at the end of the first overtime, the Sonics' Lewis had the game of his life, netting career-highs in both points (36, on 15 of 28 shooting) and rebounds (19, including 7 offensively), and adding 5 three-pointers. Payton added 32 along with 11 assists, 8 of them in the first half. Vin Baker, playing against a pair of old teammates in Patrick Ewing and Horace Grant, finished with 22 points. Though he was officially given credit for just 6 rebounds, Baker forced the Magic to tip the ball out of bounds on a number of ocassions, and was strong on the glass. Mason, playing 39 minutes off the bench, scored 16 points. Barry, in perhaps, his worst shooting performance in two years, shot just 2 of 11 but set a career high with his 11 assists, the majority of them in the second half.

The Magic also were led by a one-two punch. Grant Hill scored 28 points on the strength of an 8-8 night from the free throw line. McGrady started slowly but ended up with 27 points on 26 rebounds, adding in 6 boards and 7 assists. Darrell Armstrong, who kept the Magic close in the early going with 3 three pointers and 13 points in the first quarter, finished with 17, 7 boards, and 6 assists. Pat Garrity made the Sonics pay for slow rotations after double teams, scoring 14 points and nailing 4 three-pointers. Grant led the Magic with 10 rebounds.

SC.com Player of the Game: Props for a career best effort from Rashard Lewis ... just hope the tape doesn't make it's way to any potential free agent suitors.