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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- For one quarter, Ruben Patterson looked like an
All-Star. It didn't matter that he barely made a ripple the rest of
the game.
Patterson scored all 15 of his points in the second period and
the Seattle SuperSonics built a 22-point lead, going on to a 95-86
victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.
The Sonics snapped a four-game losing streak and got back to the
.500 mark.
Playing the entire second period, Patterson shot 6-for-8, made
all three of his foul shots and grabbed five rebounds.
"We were just letting him take the ball to the basket,"
Atlanta's Lorenzen Wright said. "We were making him look like a
superstar. No one knew what to do against him."
The Hawks missed their first six shots of the second period,
allowing the Sonics to stretch a 26-20 lead to 39-20. Patterson
started the spurt with an alley-oop dunk and Brent Barry finished
it on a 20-foot jumper with 8:20 remaining in the half.
"Ruben Patterson came out and showed he was going to the boards
every time," said Jason Terry, who led the Hawks with 27 points.
"If he didn't get it, someone else did."
Patterson and the Sonics took advantage of a shorter Atlanta
lineup after Dikembe Mutombo picked up two fouls in the first 5:20.
The 7-foot-2 center played only two more minutes the rest of the
half while Seattle built a 32-20 edge on the boards, leading to
numerous second and third chances.
"I came out in the second with a lot of energy," Patterson
said. "I'm just glad I had a part in it."
That was about his only contribution. Patterson played 19
minutes in the other three quarters, missing both of his attempts
from the field, going 0-for-2 at the line and managing only three
rebounds.
"In the second half, we stood back and let him shoot from the
outside," Wright said. "He can't shoot from the outside."
Patrick Ewing, coming off the first scoreless game of his career
in which he played at least 10 minutes, managed only six points. He
still became the 13th player in NBA history to reach 24,000 for his
career.
"It feels good," Ewing said. "I have accomplished a lot in
this league. I wanted to reach 24,000, but my main goal is to win a
championship."
Seattle stretched the margin to 22 on a couple of occasions
before settling for a 61-43 lead at the half. But the Sonics came
out ice cold after the break, making only 4-of-23 shots in the
third as the Hawks closed to 72-65 heading to the final quarter.
"You can't give a team playing at home a chance to get back in
the game," Barry said. "We seemed to lose a lot of enthusiasm at
halftime."
Atlanta, however, couldn't get any closer than six despite
several excellent scoring chances in the waning minutes.
Roshown McLeod missed an open jumper and a drive to the basket,
Mutombo failed to convert a tip with the ball hanging on the rim
and Brevin Knight, a 75 percent free throw shooter, missed two
straight from the foul line.
"I don't want to point fingers, but we've got to stay mentally
focused," Terry said. "We fought hard to get back in the game and
we've got to put the ball in the basket when we've got the
chance."
Former Hawk Shammond Williams and Gary Payton each scored 16
points to lead the Sonics.
Game notes
The Sonics have won five of their six last games in
Atlanta. ... Payton attempted five free throws, giving him 2,151
for his career and passing Tom Chambers (2,150) for third place on
the Sonics' list. ... Ewing, who has 24,001 points in his career,
receiving a standing ovation when his accomplishment was announced.
... With Mutombo playing 20 of the 24 minutes in the second half,
the Hawks fought back to gain a 50-50 tie on the boards. Wright led
with 14 rebounds and Mutombo added 13. ... Vin Baker led the Sonics
with 13 rebounds but hit only 1-of-10 shots. ... Williams was
acquired by the Hawks in a draft-night trade in 1998, but the
second-rounder played only two games before he was let go.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Seattle Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 102
Chicago 95
Houston 110
Toronto 91
Seattle 95
Atlanta 86
Philadelphia 104
New Jersey 87
Milwaukee 99
Washington 95
San Antonio 112
Orlando 95
Utah 103
Indiana 99
Denver 112
Vancouver 105
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Seattle's Ruben Patterson is on the receiving end of a Brent Barry alley-oop.
avi: 514 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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