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Ray Allen and Brent Barry each found their shot, and the Sonics found a way to bounce back from a tough loss. Seattle took control in the second half with its uptempo offense, and cruised to a 110-91 exhibition victory over Portland at the Deschutes County Expo Center last night.
Allen and Rashard Lewis led Seattle with 17 points each. Brent Barry (4 for
5) scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, and had five assists.
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"I like the effort," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "The effort we had on both ends of the floor was much better than our last game against Utah." Ticketmaster
The Sonics rolled in the early stages of the second half, taking a 77-57 lead
after Barry made back-to-back three-pointers, the second with 2:30 left in the
third quarter.
"Every now and then (Barry) has a night where he just lets it go, and he
finds it," McMillan said.
Said Barry: "Really what jump-started us was our defensive play. If we
defend well, we shoot the ball well. On some nights, we're going to throw a
lot of points up, and the other team will have to find a way to score."
Vladimir Radmanovic scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting in the first quarter
and had 11 total. Allen sank his first jumper from the corner, a good sign for
the Sonics after he struggled from the floor in his first three preseason games.
He shot 7 of 16 for the game. Ticketmaster
"I thought I made some shots that I hadn't in my last few games, but I'm
still missing easy shots," Allen said. "In midseason, I can throw
anything up there and it'll go in. Right now, I've got to work more at it. You
have to recondition yourself."
Jeff McInnis led Portland with 16 points and nine assists, and Rasheed Wallace
finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Wells scored 14.
Notes
• Four games into the Sonics' preseason, coach Nate McMillan likes his
team's chemistry. And it all starts with Allen. Ticketmaster
"Ray knows Seattle will be his home for a number of years," McMillan
said. "He has to provide a leadership role and he's done that. Guys respect
him."
• Before the game, McMillan looked over at Luke Ridnour and said, "Sunday,
right?" Ridnour smiled as he was warming up. Ridnour (abdominal strain)
was scheduled to play Saturday against Portland in Spokane, but McMillan said
Ridnour won't play until Sunday at Sacramento.
• Rookie power forward Nick Collison had successful surgery in New York
to repair his dislocated left shoulder. Collison will miss the entire season.
He is expected to have his right shoulder operated on in about two months, a
precaution because the right shoulder is weakened.