Bench Fuels Fourth Quarter Collapse; Seattle on Wrong End of Upset

By SonicsKevin

Desmond Mason, left, scored 20 points, but could not make anything happen on the Sonics' final possession.

Despite the Sonics' poor play, they were still down only two with possession at the 1:20 mark. Shammond Williams, playing only because Sonic forward Vin Baker had fouled out less than a minute later, threw the ball into backcourt while trying to direct it to Gary Payton. Payton, frustrated perhaps at the team's fourth quarter collapse, or perhaps simply at Williams' rookie mistake, punted the ball into the crowd. The mistake would prove costly as Cuttino Mobley made the free throw to put Houston up by a 95-92 count.

They still weren't out of it after a Houston miss and a Sonic offensive rebound, but Brent Barry missed an excellent look at a tying three, and Seattle's Ansu Sesay was called for a loose ball foul in the ensuing scrum. That sent Houston rookie Terrence Morris to the line, who displayed remarkable composure by making all four of his free throws down the stretch, sandwiched around a Sesay layup.

And yet the Sonics still weren't out of it, taking possession still down three at 99-96 with 14 seconds left after another layup, this by Mason, and Kenny Thomas making an unforced error by throwing the inbounds pass away. With one last gasp, the Sonics called a timeout and inbounded the ball to Mason. Instead of looking for a three, Mason drove the left wing, nearly being trapped on the sideline before getting the ball to Sesay, who also seemed to be looking for a two despite the fact that the clock was running down, and his shot in the lane was blocked by Thomas, with Norris recovering and heading to the free throw line, where he put the game away by making his second attempt. A meaningless Payton layup provided a 100-98 final.

In a sense, the game was deja vu for the Sonics, who had also blown a double-digit fourth quarter lead to lose in Houston in their last visit on March 12. That time, the main problem was Rocket guard Cuttino Mobley, who had 38 points and was lethal during the Houston run. Mobley was held in check tonight, making just five of his 14 attempts, but the Rockets found other ways to win -- or, perhaps more aptly, the Sonics found other ways to lose.

The main two ways Houston got back into the game was through offensive rebounding and Seattle turnovers, largely against a no-name Sonic bench that had been so critical in the Sonics' previous two upset wins and the first half tonight. Apparently, Seattle coach Nate McMillan went to the well one time too many; during the fourth quarter, the lineup of Randy Livingston, Williams, Barry, Sesay, and Baker combusted in allowing Houston back into the game.

After Baker scored consecutive baskets to put the Sonics ahead by 10, 84-74, with just under 10 minutes left, the team went in a hole both offensively and defensively, allowing the Rockets to go on a 17-4 run that gave them a three point lead with two and a half minutes left. The sequence opened with three straight Baker turnovers -- a travel and two offensive fouls -- that forced him out of the game. By that point, with Houston within five, the Sonics seemingly got a break as Rocket coach Rudy Tomjanovich was called for an untimely technical. However, Barry missed the free throw and the Rocket run continued, cutting the lead to 86-85 at the 5:48 mark before McMillan finally panicked. Payton, Baker, and Mason returned, but they too were powerless to slow Houston's advance. The Rockets finally went ahead at 89-88 at the four minute mark, and they would not relinquish the lead.

Lost in the disappointment over the Sonics' finish was the stellar play of Payton, who recorded his second triple-double of the season, scoring 25 points (on 11 of 21 shooting), grabbing 10 rebounds, and handing out 11 assists. As if that wasn't enough, Payton also had four steals and committed only one turnover. Yet he wasn't on the court as Houston grabbed momentum, sitting out for five critical minutes during the fourth quarter.

The Sonics also got 20 points from Desmond Mason on eight of 18 shooting and 12 surprising points from Sesay, who played 28 minutes in just his second game as a Sonic.

Payton's every shot was countered by his opposite number, Houston's Steve Francis. Although there were whispers that Francis might miss the game because of his recurring migraine headaches, he scored 32 points, making 11 of 24 attempts from the field. The Rockets' surprising performance came from Dan Langhi. The second-year forward scored a career-high 17 points, making eight of his nine shots from the field, few with so much as a hand in his face.

It was both Francis and Mobley who led Houston to an early lead, as their offense exploded for 31 points in the first quarter. The Seattle bench, getting the job done this time, led a 19-6 run that put them up by eight midway through the second quarter. They took that same lead to the locker room after Payton hit an off-balance buzzer-beating three.

With both Utah and Portland losing on the night, the Sonics lost a chance to put themselves closer to sixth place in the Western Conference than they would be to eighth, as they could have climbed within one-half game of their northwest rivals. As it is, they stay an equal 1.5 games ahead of Utah and behind Portland.

Official box score