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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CHICAGO (AP) – Gary Payton doesn't list the Chicago Bulls among
his worries. He's concerned with keeping the SuperSonics in the
playoff hunt.
Payton scored 24 points as Seattle won its fourth straight game,
beating Chicago 90-80 Friday night.
"It was never a problem," Payton said. "We stayed up 10
almost all the time."
Payton was mostly correct. In the second half, Seattle's lead
was never higher than 14 and never lower than eight.
"We weren't worried about them," Payton said. "We didn't put
them away because of things we were doing to ourselves."
Chicago, which lost its fifth straight, played without starters
Elton Brand and Ron Artest, who sat with knee injuries.
"We were extemely shorthanded tonight," said Marcus Fizer, who
led all scorers with 25. "Playing without key people like Elton
and Ron is rough. We did the best we could."
Reserve Ruben Patterson added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting for
Seattle, which moved within four games of idle Minnesota for last
playoff spot in the West.
"We talked about working hard and not giving that up," said
Seattle coach Nate McMillan.
Added Payton: "We have to win all our games even to have a
chance to think about the playoffs."
The Sonics led by as many as 10 in the first half thanks in part
to several missed layups by the Bulls. Seattle opened a 55-41 lead
early in the third quarter, and Chicago got no closer than eight in
the final period.
Seattle forward Vin Baker did not return after bruising his left
hand with four minutes left in the second quarter.
Game notes
Several members of the Bulls were getting over a personally
disappointing opening round of the NCAA tournament. Among them were
coach Tim Floyd, Fizer and guard Fred Hoiberg, all of Iowa State,
which was shocked by Hampton. Guard A.J. Guyton, who played for
Bobby Knight at Indiana, also saw his alma mater lose. Hoiberg, the
Bulls' NCAA pool manager, admitted he thought about quitting the
job, but figured he "had to be a man about it" and stayed on. ...
The Bulls placed Michael Ruffin on the injured list with a broken
bone in his left hand. ... Artest is day-to-day, but the Bulls said
Brand won't make the trip to New York for Saturday's game with the
Knicks. ... The Sonics made 19 of 23 free throws, continuing a
solid run of 120 for 142 (85 percent) from the line over seven
games.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Seattle Clubhouse
Chicago Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 103
Atlanta 97
Sacramento 100
Philadelphia 79
LA Lakers 101
Washington 89
Cleveland 114
Charlotte 109
Orlando 103
Vancouver 99
Seattle 90
Chicago 80
San Antonio 95
New Jersey 86
Boston 87
Denver 83
Portland 90
Utah 87
LA Clippers 94
Golden State 76
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