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The Seattle SuperSonics keep finding new ways to win games on the road. Close games, blowouts,
shooting, defense; no two victories in the team's eight-game winning streak have been the same. Playing for
the second time in 24 hours, the Sonics buckled down on defense after a poor first quarter to handily beat
the Atlanta Hawks 98-81 at the Philips Arena.
Seattle's magical basketball tour seemed to be in jeopardy after the first twelve minutes, which saw them struggle through frigid sub-30% shooting on the offensive end while Atlanta forward Toni Kukoc, back from a broken wrist, sliced and diced through Sonic double-teams to find open teammates for easy shots. After the first quarter, the Hawks led by 11 and seemed to have the sparse crowd that was in attendance behind them. The optimism wouldn't last. Led by a strong bench effort, the Sonics caught and passed Atlanta in the blink of an eye. Peja Drobnjak and Desmond Mason in particular catalyzed the Sonic run on both ends of the court. Both players shined on offense from the perimeter, taking feeds from Gary Payton (12 assists) to knock down open jumpers. Seattle particularly bore down on the defensive end of the court, holding the Hawks to 14 points. Mason, matching up as down the stretch in the teams' last meeting on Friday with Atlanta star Shareef Abdur Rahim, forced turnovers and contested shots. Drobnjak made a contribution on the other end by putting his big body to use on the defensive boards, pulling down six rebounds to go along with his 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting. Meanwhile, Atlanta received virtually no production whatsoever from their non-starters during the second quarter, as no Hawk reserve scored during either the second or third quarters. Part of it was the general offensive ineffectiveness that the Hawks experienced. Despite the hot start that saw them shoot better than 60 percent from the field in the first quarter, Atlanta ended up at just 42% for the game, while also being forced into 20 turnovers, five of them created by Brent Barry steals. It all added up to the Sonics going from down 11 after one to up four at halftime, taking control of a game that looked to have already slipped out of their hands. In the third quarter, they continued to harass the Atlanta offense into rushed shots and mental mistakes, allowing them just 16 points. After scoring 31 points in the first quarter, the Hawks could not match this total in the next two quarters, totaling 30 points. Seattle's offense was generally ineffectual as well, but created easy opportunities from the defense. As well, after a horrible start to the game, forward Rashard Lewis came to play in the second half, scoring the majority of his team-high 19 points. Seattle extended the lead to double digits despite the fact that guards Payton and Barry, typically a significant part of the offense, both struggled. While effectively running the offense, Payton shot just 6 of 19 from the field in failing to follow up on his brilliant 25 point effort the night before as the Sonics blew out Cleveland. Barry shot well enough, with 12 points on 4 of 9 shooting, but suffered several mental lapses in turning the ball over four times. In one brief stretch, Barry rushed two three pointers that were badly missed, stole the ball on the other end and, leading a fast break, made a Jason Williams-esque pass directly into the scorer's table. The Sonic lead went to 12 after a strong push to close the third quarter, and they were able consistently build the lead in the fourth quarter while keeping Atlanta from taking control of the game's momentum. Using the clock as an ally, the Sonics held onto the lead, pushing it to a 98-81 final. Atlanta was able to stay with the Sonics in the teams' game last Friday in Seattle primarily because of the play of stars Abdur-Rahim and Jason Terry. This time, the Sonics were able to contain one of the two. Terry, who scored 32 points in a return to his hometown in that game, shot just 7 of 19 in scoring 18 points. Abdur-Rahim again dominated the interior, but Seattle made it difficult. He scored 24 points on efficient 9 of 13 shooting and grabbed 16 boards, but was pressured into eight turnovers, two of them coming when double-teams led a frustrated Abdur-Rahim to throw elbows in desparation. It seemed in the early going that Kukoc's presence would give the Hawks a third viable offensive option, as the small forward -- nickanmed 'the Waiter' for his ability to set up teammates -- made mincemeat out of younger defender Vladimir Radmanovic. Kukoc had nine assists, but his presence was negligible after the first period. On Seattle's end, there were more than three offensive options, but perhaps as many as seven. Six players -- Lewis, Drobnjak, Payton, Barry, Mason, and Jerome James -- scored in double figures, with Radmanovic adding eight points. Good ball movement allowed all of these players to be involved in the offense.
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