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Saturday, Feb. 17 10:00pm ET
Mutombo seals victory with steal, dunk

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

SEATTLE (AP) -- This one was for junior. Jean Jacque Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Jr., that is.

Dikembe Mutombo Sr., whose wife, Rose, gave birth to a baby boy early Saturday, had 16 rebounds and 13 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 101-94 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on Saturday night.

"It's too bad you can't have a kid every day. This one's for Jean Jacque," said Mutombo, a native of Congo whose full name actually is Dikembe Mutombo Mplondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo.

The victory snapped a seven-game losing streak for Atlanta and dealt a blow to the playoff hopes of Seattle (28-26).

"It's the first win on the road in long time -- our first win, period, in seven games, so we're just happy to get it," said Jason Terry, who led the Hawks with 28 points.

The Sonics were within three, 93-90, with less than a minute left, when Gary Payton was stripped at midcourt by Mutombo after blocking Terry's shot and taking off with the ball.

Mutombo came back to dunk off a pass from Terry to put the Hawks up 95-90 with 21 seconds left. Larry Robinson hit four free throws in the last 10 seconds to seal the victory.

"These guys have been right there in so many and just not quite able to finish. Tonight, when they wavered a little bit, they maintained their composure and made a couple of good shots, made a couple of big stops and came out with a good result," Hawks coach Lon Kruger said.

Atlanta (17-35) came in just 5-20 on the road, with no victories against Western Conference teams. Saturday's game was the first of a six-game swing through the West.

The loss put the Sonics four games behind the Phoenix Suns for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

"This team is a lot better than they're showing, but for whatever reason, they're not getting the energy, the effort out on the floor," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said.

He questioned the team's attitude, saying he's told his players repeatedly: "Get your heads up, quit feeling sorry for yourselves. Quit looking for someone else to blame."

"I don't know what the hell is going on," Seattle's Emanual Davis said. "It's embarrassing, it's frustrating. We've got 12 guys willing to give it heart and soul and give up their bodies and we still get beat like this."

"This was a game we should have won," the Sonics' Patrick Ewing said. "We had an opportunity, but we didn't rebound the ball well enough to win. They hit some big shots. They just outplayed us."

Lorenzen Wright added 16 points and Mutombo had 13 to go with two blocked shots for Atlanta. DeMarr Johnson had nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter for the Hawks.

Payton led Seattle with 21 points and 13 assists. Ruben Patterson had 18 points and Ewing 14 for Seattle.

Terry scored 10 points in the third quarter as Atlanta battled back from a 10-point deficit to take a 61-60 lead with just under three minutes left. The Hawks never trailed again.

"Jason's been playing like that," Kruger said. "He's a terrific young guy who's playing better and better all the time, so I'm happy for him and what he did here at home."

Terry played at Seattle's Franklin High School, and a crowd of more than 50 waited for him in the stands after the game.

The Hawks led by as many as 10 points in the second quarter. But Seattle went on a 15-4 run in the last five minutes to take a 42-41 lead on a seven-foot jumper by Ewing, who grabbed the long rebound after a miss by Payton.

Game notes
Atlanta's Brevin Knight missed nearly all of the first half after hurting his surgically reconstructed right knee on a collision early in the first quarter. But he returned for the second half after receiving ice treatment. ... Ira Bowman saw his first action with the Hawks after signing a 10-day contract on Friday. He had one assist in five minutes. ... Noting a recent flurry of trade demands, Sonics coach Nate McMillan said "Everybody's speaking out around this league. It seems like when you complain, you get what you want." ... Sample packets of Pepcid Complete antacid were handed out at the doors of Key Arena. Said Seattle general manager Wally Walker: "I would have ordered a case of that Thursday," after the Sonics' 108-88 loss to the Boston Celtics.

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