After a second quarter from hell -- or maybe just from Denver last Friday night -- it looked like the main concern of the Sonics in the second half would be to avoid being embarrassed and get the starters some rest for tomorrow evening's matchup with Milwaukee.

Trailing by 25 points at the half, and as many as 27 in the second quarter, the Sonics' chances of victory looked to be slim and none. However, behind the stellar offensive play of Vin Baker, Gary Payton, and Rashard Lewis, and some clutch shooting from reserve Shammond Williams, the Sonics found themselves in a ballgame with 3:42 to go.

A Vin Baker layup made it a four-point game, 98-94, at that point. On Charlotte's ensuing possession, Elden Campbell was fouled by Baker. After he made one of two free throws, the Sonics had a chance to get within one possession with a score. Lewis missed a three attempt, but a Desmond Mason offensive board kept the ball in the Sonics' hands. Lewis drove the lane and had his shot blocked by Campbell. In frustration, he committed a loose-ball foul. Charlotte answered on the other end with a three-pointer by David Wesley, and all of a sudden the Sonics had gone from maybe down one possession to down 8 points.

The game was all but out of reach with just under a minute and a half left when Hornet forward Lee Nailon, who finished with 19 points, missed a jumper. The Sonics tried to get an easy score at the other end when Lewis leaked out, but under durress from Nailon, could not convert a tough lay-in from the baseline. Lewis went down hard after the play, and Sonic Coach Nate McMillan was irate, quickly drawing a technical foul.

Two free throws on the next possession put the Hornets up 10, and the Sonics' dreams of an improbable comeback were dashed, with the Hornets going on to win by a final of 111-101.

After a back and forth first quarter which saw each team hot offensively, the Hornets dominated the second quarter. A Payton jumper a minute into the quarter cut Charlotte's lead to four. After that, the Hornets went on a 29-5 run in just over eight minutes to give them a seemingly insurmountable lead. On offense, the Sonics became stagnant and went away from the ball movement which had created good shots in the first quarter. Defensively, they failed to rotate effectively, leaving Charlotte players open to drill six three pointers for a significant portion of their 41 points in the period.

The Sonics were outscored by a 23-point margin over the 12 minutes, eclipsing their awful 21-point deficit in the third quarter last Friday night against Denver as the Sonics blew a 13-point halftime lead. Charlotte's 71 points in the first half were the most by a Sonic opponent all season, bettering the Clippers' 70 in December. The Hornets simply dominated every facet of the game conjured up by Naismith, and even a few others as well.

However, to their credit, the Sonics did not quit despite their poor play. They started the third quarter on a 14-4 run that whittled the Charlotte lead to a more-managable 15 points halfway through the period. The catalysts were the Sonics' top three scorers, Lewis, Payton, and Baker, who scored all 25 Sonic points in the third. Lewis struggled down the stretch, leading to just 10 of 25 shooting, but had 22 points. Payton was phenomenal with 24 points, 9 assists, and 7 boards. Baker dominated the low block, drawing fouls and getting to the line 13 times while scoring 24 points.

The defensive intensity for the Sonics picked up significantly, as the Hornets went in one quarter from scoring 41 points to just 14. Payton in particular was like a man possessed -- or, more aptly, his younger self -- on defense in the second half, harrassing Hornet guards while being credited with just three steals. The open shooters so prevalent for Charlotte in the first half largely disappeared as the Sonics cut the lead to 14 by the end of the third quarter.

Seattle had continued the run, cutting the lead to 12 with just over eight minutes left when Williams started going nuts offensively. He started out with a three from the top of the key. After a stop, Williams beat his defender, Bryce Drew, into the lane for a layup. Another stop, and then Williams got to the hole again, his own 7-0 run cutting the Charlotte lead to a minimal five and precipitating a timeout.

Campbell answered with a score in the post for the Hornets, but Williams dribbled into another three to give him 10 straight Sonic points and cut the lead to four, the closest the Sonics would ever get as their rally fell short.