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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- As the game went on, Seattle's Gary
Payton kept getting better and the Charlotte Hornets kept getting
worse.
|  | | Gary Payton stayed a step ahead of the Charlotte defense, especially in the second half. |
Payton scored 21 of his 32 points in the second half and Seattle
rallied for an 84-81 victory Monday night by holding Charlotte to
32 percent shooting in the final two quarters.
"I was amazed when I looked at the stats at halftime and saw we
were only down by five points," Seattle coach Paul Westphal said.
"I told the guys we could take this game if we could find a way to
pick up the energy a little bit and make a few shots."
Payton responded by making eight of 12 field-goal attempts in
the second half, including a 5-for-8 showing from 3-point range, as
the SuperSonics began a five-game road trip with a victory.
"We weren't playing well in the first half but we still stayed
in the game. That was a big confidence boost for us," said Payton,
who also wound up with nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals.
"Payton did us in. When he's hitting 3-pointers, they win,"
Charlotte coach Paul Silas said after the Hornets lost their third
consecutive game and their fifth in seven contests.
Charlotte held Seattle to 33 percent shooting in the first
quarter, but the Hornets scored only 20 points in the second, 18 in
the third and 16 in the fourth. Charlotte made just six field-goal
attempts in each of the final two quarters.
"We're just not putting the ball in the hoop," said Eddie
Jones, who led the Hornets with 23 points and five steals. "We're
getting good looks but we just can't make shots."
Anthony Mason had 12 points and 13 rebounds, but he also had six turnovers. The most costly came when he threw away an inbounds pass
with 5.9 seconds left and Charlotte trailing by three.
Charlotte's Derrick Coleman had 14 points and eight rebounds midway through the third quarter when he left with a sprained right
ankle. He did not return.
"Derrick has been good for 20 points and 10 rebounds," Silas
said. "Normally he would have taken charge and we could have
counted on him down the stretch."
The Hornets shot 41 percent in the first half and led by five,
but made just 12 of 38 field-goal attempts the rest of the way.
Payton scored 12 in the third quarter, including a 3-pointer that made it 61-60, Seattle's first lead since 5-2.
There were four lead changes and three ties before Payton stole
an errant pass and hit another 3-pointer to put the SuperSonics up
71-68 with 8:50 left in the game. another 3-pointer by Payton gave
Seattle its biggest lead, 82-74 at the 2:35 mark.
Jones broke Charlotte's drought of more than four minutes without a field goal by hitting a 3-pointer to cut it to 82-77 with 1:51 remaining.
The closest Charlotte got was 83-81 on Elden Campbell's tip with
six seconds to go. A foul shot by Brent Barry accounted for the
final margin, and Payton stole Mason's inbounds pass.
Game notes
Jones had 11 points in the first quarter, when the Hornets
used a 13-1 run to take a lead they held until the third quarter.
... Payton's scoring output pushed his career total to 12,831 and
moved him into 124th place on the NBA's all-time list. The person
he passed? Westphal, who scored 12,809 in his 12-season career. ...
Mason hit all eight of his free throws, giving him 19 in a row
without a miss. ... Payton has eight triple-doubles in his 10-year
career but is still looking for his first this season.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Seattle Clubhouse
Charlotte Clubhouse
RECAPS
Dallas 108
Boston 100
Seattle 84
Charlotte 81
Miami 85
New York 76
Utah 106
New Jersey 101
Golden State 80
Atlanta 75
Houston 96
LA Clippers 77
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