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Monday, Mar. 13 10:00pm ET
Sonics hand Grizzlies 9th straight loss | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Bryant Reeves was unstoppable early. Gary Payton was good from start to finish. Payton led a third-quarter charge and finished with 40 points and 11 assists Monday night as the Seattle SuperSonics handed the Vancouver Grizzlies their ninth straight loss, 113-103.
"The coach put the ball in my hands, and then I got to the basket for good shots," Payton said. "When my teammates started knocking down shots, that made it easier." After scoring 16 points in the first half, Payton keyed an 18-6 Seattle run to begin the third quarter, hitting five of his first seven shots. That helped offset Reeves' season-high 31 points. The Vancouver center hit his first 11 field-goal attempts, setting a franchise record. "I just hit my first shot or two and got into a groove, and was able to get good shots," said Reeves, who has struggled throughout the season. "I just felt good on offense." He had 25 points and eight rebounds at the half. "He looked like Shaq (O'Neal) out there," Seattle coach Paul Westphal said. "I went over to the scoring table to see what was the record for the building. I knew that if he got 50 points, we'd lose, but fortunately we played better defense in the second half." The Sonics started with Jelani McCoy guarding Reeves, switched to Greg Foster and then to Horace Grant. None were effective defensively. But once Seattle began to double-team Reeves, the Sonics slowed him, and he went just 2-of-4 from the field after the break. That helped the Sonics build an 81-64 lead by the midway point of the third quarter. Payton, who rarely needs motivation, received some in the form of an ad the Grizzlies placed in two Vancouver newspapers in the days leading to the game. The ad suggested Grizzlies point guard Mike Bibby would turn Payton -- nicknamed "The Glove" -- inside out. But it was Bibby in the end who looked worn. He scored just 12 points and the Grizzlies were forced to move their best defensive player, Doug West, out of position in an effort to slow Payton. Payton finished one point shy of the career-high 41 he scored against Washington on Feb. 15. Vancouver did get as close as 96-92 with 6:49 left, but the Sonics held on for their third win in four outings. Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 17 points for Vancouver, the fifth straight game he has been held to 20 points or less. Vancouver shot 59 percent in the first half, but still trailed 60-58 at the break.
Game notes | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Seattle Clubhouse Vancouver Clubhouse RECAPS Detroit 124 Boston 115
Seattle 113
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