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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
SEATTLE (AP) -- Gary Payton said relax.
|  | | Gary Payton sliced and soared through the Denver defense for 35 points. |
And that was the key, Payton said, to the Sonics' dominating 112-99 home-opening victory over the Denver Nuggets Wednesday night.
The win came on the heels of a Halloween nightmare Tuesday that saw Seattle down 18-2 early to the Vancouver Grizzlies and fail in a late comeback bid for a 94-88 loss.
"All we've got to do is take our time, set up our plays, and we get our shot every time," said Payton, who had a locker room heart-to-heart with young teammates Rashard Lewis and Desmond Mason following the Vancouver loss.
"I just told them to take their time," he said. "Last night
they were rush, rush, rush."
Payton led the Sonics with 35 points, 10 assists
and two steals in a game that saw Seattle take the lead with 10:36
left in the first period and never let it go.
"He was right, you know, just go out, play relaxed, calm,"
Lewis said of Payton. "He said just let the game come to you. If
one thing's not falling, just relax and go to another thing."
Patrick Ewing added 11 points and eight rebounds and displayed
an arsenal of behind-the-head and over-the-shoulder passes in his
first game as a Sonic at Key Arena after being traded from the New
York Knicks.
"He's just got a lot of knowledge," Seattle coach Paul
Westphal said. "He knows where the guys are, and he knows how to
find them."
Lewis had 18 points, Shammond Williams 16 and Vin Baker 10
points and eight rebounds for the Sonics. Mason, limited by foul
trouble, did not score but collected six rebounds and played
stifling defense.
Nick Van Exel led the Nuggets with 26 points. Antonio McDyess picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter and was held to 10 points and four rebounds in just 18 minutes. He appeared to limp off the court as he left the game with about five minutes left.
"His knee became a problem in the second half, and because we
play tomorrow night, we thought it was best to sit him down the
last five minutes of the game," Nuggets coach Dan Issel said.
Issel found little positive to take from the season opener.
"They got inside and got layups, and we were so passive that
the only thing we did was foul them. The first half was just an
abomination. If Nick hadn't been playing the way he was playing, we
would have been behind by 40 at the half," he said.
The Nuggets cut into the lead in the third quarter, pulling to
within seven at 80-73 after consecutive 3-pointers by Van Exel. But
Seattle answered with a three-point play by Vin Baker and a 3-pointer by Shammond Williams to pull back ahead by 13.
Seattle led by at least 10 the rest of the way.
Payton was sharp early, registering 18 points on 9-of-10
shooting in the first period, and stealing the ball twice within 30
seconds from Posey. Van Exel scored 14 in the period.
Game notes
The Sonics staged "Retro Night" to mark the 25th
anniversary of ownership by the Ackerly Group, with '70s rock and
R&B blaring over loudspeakers and numerous fans and the Sonics dance
team sporting big-hair wigs and disco outfits. ... The Nuggets have
lost 15 consecutive games at Key Arena, a streak dating to the
1992-93 season. ... The Sonics' Brent Barry remained on the bench after spraining his ankle during shootaround before Tuesday's 94-88 loss at Vancouver. ... Payton started his 317th consecutive game.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Denver Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 103
Detroit 83
Philadelphia 104
Toronto 98
Washington 95
Charlotte 77
Cleveland 102
Sacramento 100
Miami 105
Orlando 79
Seattle 112
Denver 99
Utah 97
LA Lakers 92
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