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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SEATTLE (AP) – The first thing the Seattle SuperSonics did to celebrate their 94-84 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night was watch TV.
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That is, they went straight to the Timberwolves-Kings game, the outcome of which would decide whether their slim playoff chances had moved closer to none.
"We're definitely paying attention, because we're right in the
race," Ruben Patterson said as the Sonics' locker-room big screen
showed Minnesota down by 20 in the fourth quarter.
Sacramento went on to win 110-98, putting the Sonics just 2½ games behind Minnesota for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot. But the Sonics only have seven games left.
"We're not giving up," Desmond Mason said. "We'll keep
working. We're getting better every game."
Seattle has won four in a row, and 10 of its past 11.
Gary Payton led the Sonics with 28 points, including 4-of-4 on 3-pointers in the third quarter, when the Clippers had taken their first lead of the game and threatened to pull away.
"We took ill-advised shots, and then Gary stepped up," Clippers coach Alvin Gentry said. "You have to give Gary credit. He's a great player. He made some big 3s right when we had a chance to put a little distance between us and them."
"He stepped up big offensively," Sonics coach Nate McMillan
said. "We went into a stall in the third quarter and he knocked
down some big shots, some big 3s, to get us going again."
Payton seemed determined not to let the Sonics fall too far
behind the struggling Clippers. With about 3:30 left in the third
quarter, he had the ball stolen by Jeff McInnis, fell down and did a soccer-style leg sweep that brought McInnis down with him. Payton was called for the foul.
Vin Baker scored 13 points and Rashard Lewis 12 for Seattle, which completed a sweep of its season series against the Clippers.
Michael Olowokandi led Los Angeles with 16 points, Eric
Piatkowski had 15 and Darius Miles 13.
"It really wasn't Gary Payton that killed us," Miles said. "It was the little shots that killed us there in the fourth quarter, like Desmond Mason."
Mason scored eight in the period on an assortment of layups, tip-ins and one 3-pointer from the corner.
The Clippers trailed by 11 with about five minutes left in the
second quarter when a 3-pointer by Keyon Dooling ignited a 14-4 run. Dooling also had a 20-foot baseline jumper and a 5-foot runner as the Clippers finished the half trailing 47-46.
Olowokandi led the Clippers with 12 points in the half, all scored in the first quarter, when he shot 6-for-6 from the field.
"It was a good first quarter, but I play for the team," he said. "We really wanted to come out in and get a quality win, not to necessarily be playoff spoilers, but we haven't beaten those guys in, like, two years. We came up short again."
Payton had nine in the first half for Seattle.
Game notes
With their 41st victory, the Sonics assured themselves of at least a .500 record for the 14th consecutive season. ... New Sonics owner Howard Schultz flew back from the NBA Board of
Governors meeting in New York to take his usual front-row seat. The
board on Friday approved Schultz's purchase from the Ackerley
Group, headed by billboard and media magnate Barry Ackerley.
Schultz, who built Starbucks into the world's largest coffee retailer, promised Sonics fans that the team will rejoin the NBA's elite. He also cautioned that he will pay attention to the bottom line. ... The Sonics are 8-0 this season against Los Angeles. Seattle completed a season sweep of the Lakers with a 109-97 overtime victory March 11. ... The Sonics came in with a 50-24 edge in their all-time series with the Clippers.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
LA Clippers Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
NBA Board of Governors approves Sonics' sale
RECAPS
Philadelphia 102
Golden State 89
Toronto 110
New Jersey 99
Indiana 92
Boston 87
Denver 103
Charlotte 96
Detroit 100
Orlando 97
Utah 95
Cleveland 88
Portland 96
New York 79
Seattle 94
LA Clippers 84
LA Lakers 98
Dallas 89
Sacramento 110
Minnesota 98
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