'Gary, Gary, Gary:' Payton scores 43 as Sonics beat Clippers

By the end, they were chanting.

"Gary. Gary. Gary."

The 14,129 fans on hand at Key-Arena were nearly genuflecting at the feet of Seattle SuperSonics point guard Gary Payton, who finished one point shy of his career high, totaling 43 points to lead the Sonics to a 101-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night

Payton hit a variety of shots, going 18-for-29 overall. Scoop shots, jump shots, acrobatic lay-ins, up-and-unders, 3-pointers. He scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, had no turnovers in 45 minutes and essentially turned in his best performance of the season, perhaps the second-best of his career, in leading the Sonics to their fifth consecutive victory, the second-longest current streak in the NBA.

"I was shooting the ball really well," said Payton, who also had eight rebounds and six assists. "It was coming out of my hand really well. I was going to the basket and I was concentrating. It was just one of them nights. Everybody have one. Everything was going in."

Outside of Payton's phenomenal night, the game was not eye candy. But the Sonics reached their stated goal.

When they finished up the brutal part of their early schedule five games below .500, the Sonics said they wanted to come out of December sporting an even record.

By beating the Clippers (15-13) in ugly fashion, the Sonics improved to 15-15 and stayed on pace with the other teams in the Western Conference for the eighth spot in the playoff race, something that seemed like a distant dream when they were 10-15 on Dec. 12, following a blowout loss to these same Clippers.

"We had a team meeting, and we said we had the opportunity to run the table for the rest of the month," Vin Baker said. "So far we have achieved it. Now we are right in the mix. There is a positive vibe around here, and hopefully we can just keep it going."

In order to keep their goal intact, however, the Sonics need to finish up 2001 with a victory over the Toronto Raptors (15-13) Saturday night.

Of course, the Sonics have benefited from their recent schedule much the same way they seemed at a decided disadvantage with their schedule early in the season.

The Clippers got into town at 3 a.m. after losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

The Clippers also were playing without point forward playmaker Lamar Odom, who missed the game with a sprained right wrist.

But that was nothing compared to the Sonics' growing list of unhealthy players. Not only did centers Calvin Booth and Jerome James miss the game, but Vladimir Radmanovic also sat out, still suffering from effects of a mild concussion.

And in the Sonics' continued ambulatory season, Rashard Lewis was the latest victim of injury.

In the second quarter, Lewis took an elbow to the face from Corey Maggette and suffered a lacerated lower lip. He returned late in the third quarter after receiving eight stitches in the locker room.

Shorthanded, and with Art Long in constant foul trouble before fouling out in the fourth, the Sonics needed every one of Payton's baskets.

Taking Payton's shot totals away, the rest of the Sonics shot 21-for-54 (38 percent), breaking a trend of good shooting when they get some time off.

Their inability to hit shots - something coach Nate McMillan lamented before the game because the team had had three days off since its last game - kept the Clippers in it, even though Elton Brand was in foul trouble and they could only manage 32 percent of their shots.

But in the fourth quarter, with the game in the balance, Payton took over. Ahead 78-75, Payton raced down the middle of the floor after a turnover, executed a wondrous spin move in the lane and laid the ball in between two Clippers defenders.

He followed that up with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, backpedaling with his hand still in the air.

Baker tipped in a rare Payton miss for 85-79, but Payton followed with four consecutive shots to take control of the game.

"Normally you need somebody to make a play to win a ballgame," Brent Barry said. "Fortunately for us, Gary made about 10."

Note - McMillan said he expected both Booth and James to be ready to play when the Sonics begin the New Year against Philadelphia.

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Sonics 101, Clippers 90

Saturday: vs. Toronto, 7 p.m., KONG, 950-AM.

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SIDEBAR: Game in Review

Sonics 101, Clippers 90

KEY STATS - Sonics point guard Gary Payton scored 16 points in the final six minutes of the game, taking advantage of a Clippers offense that shot 32 percent.

STAR OF THE GAME - Payton scored 43 points, one shy of his career high. Perhaps the only game in which he played better in his career was when he carried the Sonics in a Game 5 first-round playoff victory against Minnesota four years back.

TURNING POINT - With the Sonics leading, 78-75, Payton made an fastbreak layup off an impressive spin move, then followed that with a 3-pointer that staked the Sonics to a controlling 83-75 lead.

KEY OBSERVATION - Vin Baker played well despite an injured right (shooting) hand. Baker had 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists, outplaying Clippers star Elton Brand.

QUOTABLE - "I didn't realize he had 43 until the fans started chanting his name." - Sonics coach Nate McMillan.

NEXT - 7 p.m. Saturday, Toronto Raptors at Sonics, KeyArena.

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Sonics game in review

HIGHLIGHTS: Brent Barry's two-handed bounce pass between his legs that Rashard Lewis converted into a 3-point play in the first quarter. ... Barry, again, threading the needle with a three-quarters-court bounce pass to Gary Payton for a layin in the third quarter. ... A minute later, Payton going up and under Corey Maggette and cashing in from the baseline with one of his trademark scoop shots.

LOWLIGHT: Predrag Drobnjak air-balling a wide-open 8-footer from the baseline in the third quarter.

INJURY REPORT: Vladimir Radmanovic missed the game last night because of a slight concussion suffered last Saturday against Detroit. He was also hit in the head Wednesday during practice. Radmanovic is expected to play tomorrow night against Toronto.

GOOD NEWS: Coach Nate McMillan said that injured centers Jerome James and Calvin Booth should be ready to return next Friday against Philadelphia, just in time for Dikembe Mutombo's elbows.

LEWIS HURT: Rashard Lewis took an unintentional shot to the face from Maggette in the second quarter. Maggette was called for an offensive foul. Lewis cut his lip and returned late in the third quarter -- with eight stitches.

SIDELINED: One of the Clippers' best players, Lamar Odom, averaging 12.4 points, missed the game because of a sprained right wrist.

ALL-STAR VOTING: Payton is third in Western Conference All-Star balloting for guards behind Kobe Bryant and the injured Steve Francis. Payton, who is averaging 22.1 points and 9.2 assists, has played in every All-Star Game since 1994.

DOUBLEHEADER: Kevin Calabro handled the play-by-play of two games yesterday, the Seattle Bowl at Safeco Field, and the Clippers-Sonics game. "It was insane," Calabro said of his Seattle Bowl experience. "It had been awhile. I was rusty."

BACK IN TOWN: Former Husky Eldridge Recasner, 34, signed with the Clippers Dec. 20 and returned to Seattle last night. He played in the second quarter but did not score.

PUT IT UP: After checking into the game for the first time in the second quarter, Shammond Williams didn't take long to hoist his first shot -- all of three seconds, missing wildly.

NEXT UP: Toronto, KeyArena, tomorrow at 7 p.m.

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Payton hits 43, flawless on floor

Battling through a night when most of the Sonics did not have their A game, fortunately one player did.

Gary Payton was terrific, scoring 43 points and completing one of his most memorable performances with 20 in the fourth quarter, leading the Sonics to their fifth consecutive win, a 101-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers last night in KeyArena.

The All-Star guard went 18-for-27 from the field and 6-for-7 from the line, his missed free throw with 42 seconds left preventing him from tying his career high.

After that, a crowd of 14,129 was on its feet, chanting his name, wanting "Gary, Gary" to score more points than he ever had in 12 NBA seasons. Shammond Williams knew how everyone felt.

"I wanted him to go for 45," Williams said. "Forty-three is good. Forty-five stands out a little more. But I'll take the 43 any day."

"He's pretty good," said Brent Barry in a deadpan tone. "Between the two starting guards, we had a great night, 49 points."

Perhaps most remarkable of all: In 45 minutes, Payton did not commit a single turnover while also finding time to produce eight rebounds and six assists.

Payton was brilliant in every way imaginable, scoring from inside and out, posting up, facing the basket, spinning in the lane, rattling some shots through the twine and swishing others.

His best bucket might have been the up-and-under move he put on Corey Maggette, who had a fine evening himself with 25 points. Defensively, Maggette was overmatched, watching helplessly as Payton burned him along the baseline, converting a one-handed scoop in the third quarter.

There were clutch hoops as well, including two in the fourth quarter when he whirled around Jeff McInnis and left another beaten Clipper in his wake.

"We were struggling a little at the offensive end," Payton said. "When they start calling plays for me, I should get something done. I just felt it tonight and everything was going in."

"It wasn't a runaway 43," said Vin Baker. "It was a 43 that we needed every bucket of down the stretch."

Added Barry: "His timing was absolutely perfect, and he was absolutely awesome."

Payton even made something else -- a rare on-court appearance with play-by-play man Kevin Calabro after the game. Amid more adulation and shouts of "GP for MVP," Payton took the microphone but none of the credit, praising his teammates.

"Our younger guys are doing a great job," he said. "Our team right now is very together."

For the first time since Nov. 27, the Sonics moved to .500 at 15-15, taking advantage of a good scheduling situation, wearing down the Clippers in the fourth quarter.

This is the way it was in November for the Sonics, showing up in Seattle or somewhere else, fatigued from playing too many games in too many nights, ripe for another battering.

The Clippers, who lost to Philadelphia Wednesday night in Staples Center, arrived here yesterday morning at 3. Going to sleep in the middle of the night in another hotel room is not the way you want to get ready for a rested team like the Sonics, especially with Payton as torrid as he was.

The Sonics won despite their own obstacles. With Jerome James and Calvin Booth on the injured list, they are still center-less. Vin Baker played last night with a brace protecting his sprained thumb and affecting his shooting. Desmond Mason also is wearing a brace and not looking like he has fully recovered from a sprained knee.

Vladimir Radmanovic did not play because of a concussion. And as if the Sonics needed any more injuries, Rashard Lewis went down with a wicked cut to his lip in the second quarter, whacked unintentionally by Maggette.

Lewis returned in the second half with eight stitches and a desire to get it done regardless. He hit a tie-breaking three in the fourth quarter, connected on a runner from the lane and knocked a pass away, fueling a fastbreak that culminated in a Payton layin.

Lewis ended up with 16 points and Baker, toiling at less than full capacity, still managed to nearly record a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds while also helping shut down Elton Brand.

The Clippers' biggest force inside scored 16 points but most of them were irrelevant. He was flustered by the Sonics' double-teaming tactics, harried into four turnovers.

The Sonics limited the Clippers to 32-percent shooting.

"All of us were bucking down on defense," Payton said. "We were making it hard for them to go where they wanted to."

The Sonics are heading in the right direction and will attempt to go over .500 when they play Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors tomorrow night in KeyArena.

SONICS 101, CLIPPERS 90

TOMORROW: Sonics vs. Raptors, KeyArena, 7 p.m.

TV/RADIO: KONG-TV/6, 16; KJR-AM/950

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