RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
SEATTLE (AP) -- When the game got close, Rasheed Wallace got
ejected.
Wallace, who was leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a blowout
of the Seattle SuperSonics through three quarters, was ejected with
two technical fouls just as Seattle surged within five in the final
period. His teammates had to finish the job without him.
The Sonics cut the lead to one with less than a minute remaining, but Portland held on for a 97-90 victory as Shawn Kemp
hit a key jumper and Damon Stoudamire sank four free throws in the last minute.
"You have to be careful, especially down the stretch. You have
to have your go-to guy on the floor to give yourself a chance,"
Trail Blazers coach Mike Dunleavy said.
"I think we did a good job of holding on, even though we got
some bad breaks down the stretch," said Scottie Pippen, who was
held to just two points and two rebounds but had eight assists,
three steals and a blocked shot for Portland.
The Blazers were ahead by as many as 21 in the fourth before
Seattle went on a 22-6 run capped by Patrick Ewing's turnaround
baseline jumper with 50 seconds left that pulled the Sonics to
89-88.
Kemp's quick 20-foot jump shot put the Trail Blazers back up by
three, and Stoudamire's free throws sealed the victory.
"Tonight was a super game for him," Dunleavy said of Kemp. "His shots were big shots, they were timely. We needed them, with one of our best scorers on the bench."
Stoudamire led Portland with 21 points, Kemp added 18 points and
14 rebounds and Steve Smith and Wallace each had 16.
The Trail Blazers, who came in to Key Arena 0-2 after a dismal
108-82 loss at Phoenix on Thursday, outrebounded Seattle 54-34, but
turned the ball over 22 times to Seattle's 16.
"We know we're talented, but I think the focus has not been
totally there," said Dale Davis, who was one of three Trail
Blazers, along with Kemp and Wallace, to have five fouls.
Payton led Seattle with 25 points and 11 assists. He shot
7-for-8 in the second half after struggling to a 2-for-12 showing
in the first half. Vin Baker had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Ewing and Rashard Lewis had 17 points each.
"We are so tentative sometimes at both ends of the floor," Sonics coach Paul Westphal said. "When we stop trying to think and just play hard, we do really, really good at times. That's what we did when we got behind, we just finally stopped deferring to each
other and started playing basketball."
"I think guys are aggressive, but the biggest thing is, we're missing a lot of shots," Baker said. "Guys are hesitating a little on their perimeter shots. Worse, I think, guys are missing a lot of their inside shots, a lot of shots that could be the difference in the game, me in particular."
The Sonics shot just 36 percent in the half, as Portland
finished the half up 52-42.
The Trail Blazers, who were criticized for lackluster play in two season-opening losses, opened with intensity. Portland led by as much as 12 in the second quarter, when Kemp had nine points, seven rebounds and three steals off the bench.
Game notes
Seattle leads the all-time "Interstate-5" series 83-78.
... Sonics guard Brent Barry, listed as questionable for the game,
remained on the sidelines with a sprained left ankle. ... Kemp, who
broke in with Seattle in 1989 and averaged 16.2 points per game in
eight seasons before being traded to Cleveland in the deal that
brought Baker to the Sonics, got an extended cheer from the crowd
when he was announced. ... Portland beat Seattle for the sixth
consecutive time.
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NBA Scoreboard
Portland Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
RECAPS
LA Lakers 98
Vancouver 89
Indiana 94
Chicago 81
Toronto 103
Washington 96
Orlando 107
Atlanta 104
Cleveland 91
Boston 89
Philadelphia 84
Miami 82
Utah 112
Dallas 106
Minnesota 99
Sacramento 91
Charlotte 98
New Jersey 87
Milwaukee 97
Detroit 88
Phoenix 102
Denver 99
Portland 97
Seattle 90
San Antonio 117
Golden State 105
LA Clippers 77
Houston 74
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