Last year, the second game of back-to-back games was no big deal for the Sonics, who were a solid 12-9 in such contests, slightly better than their overall record of 45-37. This season, however, such situations have proven nothing short of disasterous, as an 0-8 record when playing for the second time in as many nights has marred an otherwise impressive 13-7 performance.

Prior to this evening, the Sonics' best performance in a second game had come against the Detroit Pistons. Playing at Detroit, who was also coming off a game the night before, the Sonics held the lead much of the way before mental errors caused them to drop a 95-91 finish. Thus, tonight would have seemed an ideal spot to break the slump, with the Pistons again also coming in on the second night of a back-to-back themselves, and more damningly having dropped all four games on the West Coast swing which ended in Seattle.

Indeed, despite playing without Vin Baker, who sat out with a hyperextended thumb, the Sonics rolled, dominating the Pistons in every facet of the game in a 117-89 victory, their largest margin this season.

As they have in most of the eight games they've lost, the Sonics got off to a slow start in the early going. Defensively, Detroit star Jerry Stackhouse tortured slower defender Rashard Lewis to the point where, early in the game, Stackhouse had 12 of his team's 14 points. After Stackhouse picked up a second foul, however, the Sonics were able to cruise. They picked it up offensively as well, getting scoring from everyone on the court. Lewis, coming off a 24 point effort the previous night, particularly shined. Detroit's Chucky Atkins hit a 40-foot three pointer as the quarter ended to cut the Sonics lead to 31-25.

In the second quarter, the Sonics' defensive intensity, led by guards Gary Payton, Brent Barry, and reserve Earl Watson, was excellent. They harrassed the Detroit offense into turnovers and hurried shots. Especially upset was Stackhouse. After a no-call he felt was particularly egregious, he turned his ire -- perhaps a result of the 20-point deficit or Detroit's poor showing on the road trip -- at the referees, drawing two technicals in quick succession and being ejected.

With the Sonic lead extended to 55-33 after Barry hit the technical foul shots and Stackhouse gone for the night, the game appeared to be a done deal. However, to their credit, the Pistons didn't quit. They managed to keep the Sonics from extending their lead, but Seattle scored 31 points for the second straight quarter and held a 62-40 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, Detroit again kept the Sonics from adding to their lead, in large part thanks to strong outside shooting from Brent's brother, Jon, who hit three three-pointers. However, on the other side, Payton began to exert himself offensively, scoring several times near the end of the quarter.

Just two minutes into the final period, the Sonic lead was comfortable enough that Payton was removed. He played just 33 minutes, a season low. For the third time in as many home games, the main drama was whether the Sonics could get to 110 points to reward their fans with chalupas. They did, catalyzed by the play of Vladimir Radmanovic, who replaced Baker in the starting lineup. In the quarter, Radmanovic hit three three pointers and scored 11 points. For the game, he finished with career-highs of 18 points and 6 rebounds. However, his fine play was somewhat marred by a frightening fall with just under three minutes left to play. After a steal, Radmanovic was able to outrun two Detroit defenders to the basket, finishing with a two-hand slam. His momentum was too much, and he nearly did a midair somersault before landing hard on the floor, head-first. After a brief stoppage of play -- and a classy move by Detroit coach Rick Carlisle, who used one of his team's timeouts -- Radmanovic got up to a standing ovation, walking off the court with a smile on his face. He was deemed to have a slight concussion.

Payton led the Sonics with 20 points on 9 of 16 shooting, adding 8 assists before getting a well-deserved rest. Radmanovic's 18 points came on 6 of 9 from the field, including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Lewis finished with 18 as well on 7 of 11 shooting, and added 7 boards. The ever efficient Barry was 4 of 7 shooting the ball and had 15 points. Art Long, whose record as a starter improved to 4-0, upped his career high in scoring for the second time in the week, this time to 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting. Shammond Williams, perhaps showcasing his talents for a trade, scored 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting in just 10 minutes of play.

Despite playing just 16 minutes, Stackhouse finished as Detroit's leading scorer with 18 points on 6 of 9 shooting. Atkins came off the bench firing, hitting 6 of 10 shots for 15 points. The elder Barry was also in double figures with 12 points. Rugged forward Ben Wallace hit all three of his shots and finished with 8 points and 9 rebounds.

Notes:
Watson played his second straight game without a turnover. Total -- 44 minutes of error-free ball, with 8 assists. He also added a spectacular reverse layup after being fouled in the first quarter ... as a team, the Sonics shot 46 of 76, 60.5% ... don't ask how, but Brent Barry had two blocks as the Sonics finished with nine as a team ... ex-Sonic Dana Barros struggled in a return to Seattle, hitting just one of his eight shots. Other ugly Detroit lines came courtesy of Clifford Robinson (2 of 9) and rookie Rodney White, whom the Sonics would have taken had he not gone to Detroit (1 of 9) ... the Sonics' four-game winning streak is a season-high.

SC.com Player of the Game:
Inserted into the starting lineup for the second time this year, Vladimir Radmanovic demonstrated he belonged with deadeye outside shooting and solid defense and rebounding.