Coming off a solid victory over the Memphis Grizzlies yesterday afternoon, the Sonics got another crack at one of the NBA's worst teams this evening in a date with the Chicago Bulls. Although the Sonics had gotten the second of back-to-back monkey off their 'back' with a win over Detroit on December 22, they were still looking for their first such win on the road.

In the early going, the Sonics appeared to be suffering from fatigue, as they started slowly and trailed going to the second quarter for the second straight game. However, the talent disparity between the teams -- accentuated by the fact that Chicago was without two starters, point guard Greg Anthony and center Brad Miller -- eventually took over, and the Sonics took advantage of a pair of long runs to win going away, 100-88.

The killer for Chicago was turnovers. They committed 25 as a team, with each starter giving the ball up at least two times. Second-year forward Marcus Fizer, who replaced Miller in the starting lineup, had 6 turnovers all by himself. The Bulls shot about as well as the Sonics, beat them 43-34 on the boards, but simply could not overcome their recklessness with the ball.

At the game's open, however, both teams struggled with turnovers, with a pair of early sequences in which there were consecutive turnovers by each team. The Bulls, getting solid play from their two Rons -- Artest and Mercer -- went ahead by as much as a 19-10 margin early. Sonic star Gary Payton, who led the team with 26 points, decided he would not let the lowly Bulls run away with the game soon thereafter, and scored 8 of the Sonics' next 10 points. By the end of the quarter, the Sonics had gotten the lead back to a managable 5.

It was 36-26 Chicago with just under eight minutes left in the second quarter when the Sonics went on a remarkable run. Getting eight points from Rashard Lewis and six from Vin Baker, the Sonics scored 10 unanswered and went on a 20-2 run overall. At the streak's end, the Sonics went from down 10 to eight points up.

The Bulls did rally on a mini 8-1 run of their own to cut the Sonics' lead to one point at halftime.

Payton got back into the act after halftime, scoring six straight Sonic points at one point and 10 for the quarter. Despite the best efforts of Chicago's Artest, who scored seven of his 26 points in the quarter, the Sonics were able to extend their lead to nine points by the end of the period without a lengthy run.

The Sonics simply kept coming at Chicago. The Bulls were within single-digits only once in the fourth quarter. They put the game away and ended any thoughts of a Chicago comeback with a 9-0, two minute run that put Seattle up 21 halfway through the third quarter. They went four and a half minutes until their next score, enduring a 10-0 Chicago run, but the game was far out of reach for the Bulls at the point.

Payton's 26 points led the Sonics, though he really had a bit of an off night, needing 25 shots for his points and recording just 5 assists. Vin Baker, coming off a disappointing effort at Memphis, added 13 points and 6 boards. Quiet on the offensive end with 12 points, Rashard Lewis shined defensively, coming up with 5 steals. Brent Barry was his typically effective all-around self with 10 points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds. Desmond Mason led the bench attack with 10 points.

Artest, who has been much improved this season, had his 26 points on cooly efficient 8 of 13 shooting while making 7 of 8 from the free throw line. He also grabbed 9 rebounds. Similarly to Barry, Mercer contributed in all aspects of the game, scoring 16 points with 6 assists and 6 boards. Rookie Tyson Chandler, the second pick in the Draft, made 6 of 8 shots -- mostly around the hoop -- and scored 12 points. Fizer added 11 and 9 rebounds.

Notes:
The Sonics were whistled for an uncharacteristically low 11 fouls on the night ... rookie Earl Watson came off the bench to tie for the Sonic lead with 5 assists ... Jerome James has sat out the last two games for the Sonics after being considered a big help when he came off the injured list last Friday ... journeyman Kevin Ollie started in Anthony's place and had 10 assists as Chicago had a remarkable 31 assists on 37 field goals as a team.

SC.com Player of the Game: I'm afraid that tonight is a pretty tough decision for me. Is there anyone particularly deserving of an award for their performance? In the final consideration, in this ultimate team effort, I will reward Rashard Lewis for his defensive performance.