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It's Valentine's Day, so the Seattle SuperSonics decided to get a gift for their visitors this evening in
the KeyArena. Chocolates and flowers don't suffice in the NBA; instead the Sonics gave the Lakers
a win that was rightfully theirs, gift-wrapped in defensive breakdowns, mental mistakes, and poor
clutch play. With 10 minutes to play, the Seattle had a comfortable lead of nine with the home
floor on their side. However, for the fifth time in six games the Sonics struggled down the stretch
of a winnable home game and lost to a Los Angeles team playing without star center Shaquille
O'Neal.
With three and a half minutes left in the game, the teams were deadlocked at 78 apiece. At that point, veteran Laker forward Robert Horry, known for his clutch shooting, made a cold blooded three pointer with a hand in his face to put the Los Angeles in front. Desmond Mason answered in transition with a jumper with his foot on the three point line, cutting the lead to one. The Lakers went right back to Horry, who made another jumper, this time uncovered. After a Brent Barry turnover, Laker star Kobe Bryant, who had 10 clutch points in the final period of play, tipped in a Rick Fox miss to give Los Angeles a five point lead with 2:17 to play in the game. On the other end, Seattle worked the ball to rookie Vladimir Radmanovic behind the three point line. Showing no hesitation, Radmanovic took and made the three to put the Sonics back within one score. With the Lakers needing a score to keep the home team at bay, Bryant went one-on-one with Mason and his cast from the top of the key was off, giving the Sonics the ball, momentum, and a chance to tie. Again, the youthful Radmanovic played a big role, threading a pass from his position behind the three point line to a cutting Barry, who was fouled before he could get up a shot. However, there was no need to throw up his arms if a shot was prevented; it was Los Angeles' fifth foul, putting them over the limit and sending Barry to the free throw line. The 83% free throw shooter this year made both tries to tie the game and send the crowd into a frenzy. Again, the Lakers turned to Bryant, their main offensive option sans Shaq. Bryant beat Mason and drew a double-team which left open reserve Devean George in the right corner. By the percentages, it was a good decision; George is just a 34% shooter from beyond the arc this year. He had all day to think about the shot, and perhaps also make some plans for after the game. The air drained out of the sellout crowd (or at least most of it, given the disproportionately high number of Laker fans in attendance) as George's three found the bottom of the net. With just over a minute remaining, Seattle needed a score in the worst way. After a timeout, the Sonics went not to Gary Payton, who struggled with his shooting (8 of 19) but still had an excellent game with 17 points and 12 assists, but instead Rashard Lewis. Determined to put the ball in the hole, Lewis drove to his right against Rick Fox but was stymied. Instead of passing the ball out and resetting the offense, Lewis forced an off-balance, fadeaway 18 footer which cast off the iron into the far corner. The teams' two All-Stars, Payton and Bryant, were both in the area and darted after the ball with Bryant quickly wresting it away. Needing a bucket to ice the game, Bryant again called his own number. With Payton, the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year in 1995-96, defending this time, Bryant got him off-balance with a juke and drove the lane for a tough layup to put the lead at five, 90-85. After a timeout, Radmanovic and Barry both missed makable three pointers, and Bryant was fouled. He made both free throws before Payton made a meaningless layup just before the buzzer to produce the final 92-87 margin. The first half was back and forth, with neither side able to establish a significant advantage. A slow first quarter was largely dominated by Los Angeles before the Sonics came back at the end of the quarter to take a 23-22 lead at quarter's end. Seattle took control of the momentum in the second quarter, getting the crowd into the game with some fullcourt play from their reserves. Again, the other side caught up, as the Lakers kept the game close and pulled into a halftime tie. Just before the break, Sonic forward Vin Baker drove the lane and pulled up lame while dribbling the ball out of bounds. Preliminary reports from ESPN.com indicate that Baker, who has struggled with injuries throughout the season, broke three toes on his left foot and will be out indefinitely. Even without Baker, the Sonics reasserted themselves in the third quarter with a 20-8 run dominated by Payton, who had five points and four assists during the brief period. They carried a seven point lead to the fourth quarter, but again it was not enough down the stretch.
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