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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SEATTLE (AP) -- Brent Barry is at wit's end.
|  | | Gary Payton was a game-time decision because of an injury, but his 31 points doomed Portland. |
"I've had many sleepless nights about this team. We shouldn't
be in this predicament. We shouldn't be a .500 team," Barry said
after the Seattle SuperSonics beat the Portland Trail Blazers 99-90
on Tuesday night, two days after beating the Los Angeles Lakers in
overtime 109-97.
All year, the Sonics have been giant killers against the NBA's
elite, going 4-0 against the champion Lakers.
But they've let down against the also-rans.
"We've shown we can beat good teams. But the thing is, we can't
just get up for the good teams," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said.
"We have to find a way to motivate ourselves."
The Sonics (33-33) had lost four in a row before the game
against the Lakers.
"I've been on teams where it happens sometimes, but not as much
as it happens with us," Patrick Ewing said of the Sonics'
letdowns. "I really have no explanation."
Gary Payton led the Sonics with 31 points, though he was a
game-time decision because of an injury to his right leg.
"He couldn't really walk this morning," McMillan said.
Payton wore a flexible, ankle-to-knee brace during the game.
"If he's breathing, he's going to play," said Seattle's Vin
Baker, who had only six points and three rebounds in 32 minutes,
but blocked four shots, including three in the fourth quarter.
Portland's Rasheed Wallace was held to just two points on
1-for-6 shooting in the second half after shooting 7-for-10 for 17
points in the first. He took and made just one shot in 11
fourth-quarter minutes and finished with 19.
Rashard Lewis had 16 points for Seattle, and Ruben Patterson
added 14. Barry had eight assists, three steals and five rebounds
in his first game back from a groin injury.
The Sonics pulled away for good midway through the fourth
quarter, as Lewis hit consecutive 3-pointers and Patterson ignited
the crowd by soaring to block a short jumper by 7-foot-3 Arvydas
Sabonis, sending the bigger man sprawling.
Payton followed with a 3-pointer and Patterson hit a driving
left-handed shot to put the Sonics up 86-70 with 5:50 left.
Portland never got closer than seven after that, despite 10 points
by Shawn Kemp in the last 2:12.
Sabonis, hampered by a sore right foot, had six points and just
two rebounds in 17 minutes.
The Trail Blazers (42-22) have lost six of their last 10 and are
now two games behind Pacific Division-leading Sacramento.
"It has really been decision making," Portland coach Mike
Dunleavy said of his team's struggles. "We threw passes to spots
on the floor where we thought guys were going to be, and they
weren't there. We just need a little more patience and need to make
better passes."
"We've just got to get a win so everyone can get their
confidence back and play a little looser out there," said Rod
Strickland, who was signed by Portland as a free agent on March 5.
The Sonics led by 15 points with just over 3 minutes left in the
first half. But Portland went on a 13-3 run, cutting the lead to
53-48 by halftime, as Wallace scored six points on two layups and a
16-foot jumper. Stoudamire also hit consecutive 3-pointers.
Game notes
Ewing's six rebounds put him in 20th place on the career
list with 11,258. His fifth rebound, with just over 2 minutes left
in the third quarter, moved him ahead of Dolph Schayes. ...
McMillan doesn't put much stock in reports that Michael Jordan may
return as a player next season. But he understands why Jordan might
want to come back. "At times you just want to get out there and
show some of the guys how the game is played. You understand the
game, and you feel like you can still have success playing." ...
Ten Portland players have led the team in scoring in games this
season, nine players in rebounds and nine in assists. ... The Trail
Blazers entered the game shooting an NBA-best 46.9 percent from the
field.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Portland Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
RECAPS
Milwaukee 101
Toronto 97
Atlanta 109
Vancouver 99
New York 98
Cleveland 79
Sacramento 114
Orlando 108
Dallas 122
New Jersey 98
Houston 127
Indiana 118
Seattle 99
Portland 90
LA Lakers 112
Boston 107
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