MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 3 (Ticker) -- Gary Payton orchestrated the Seattle SuperSonics to near perfection against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Payton had 20 points and 13 assists to lead six double-figure scorers for the Sonics, who recorded their 22nd victory in 25 all-time games against the Grizzlies with a 96-71 rout.

Payton already tallied 16 points and 10 assists by the end of the third quarter, leading the Sonics to a commanding 74-52 lead.

The Sonics won for the ninth time in their last 10 road games after suffering a disappointing loss to the New York Knicks on Friday at Madison Square Garden.

NBA TV highlights from Sonics-Grizzlies: 56k | 300k Vladimir Radmanovic and the Sonics put themselves out of reach early on. Joe Murphy NBAE/Getty Images

"We let a game get away in New York when we weren’t fundamental coming down the stretch. Tonight, we were all fundamentally sound and we executed," Payton said. "We have to play that way every game. We have to be consistent.”

Rashard Lewis scored 14 points and Vladimir Radmanovic added 13, including a jumper as the buzzer sounded at the end of the first half which gave Seattle a 51-40 cushion. Memphis never got within single digits thereafter.

Desmond Mason and Predrag Drobnjak came off the bench to tally 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Sonics.

Shooting guard Brent Barry also added 11 as Seattle shot just shy of 52 percent (41-of-79) from the field.

Lorenzen Wright collected 14 points to pace the Grizzlies, who shot just 33 percent (27-of-81) and dropped their seventh straight game.

“It seems like we’re back to some of the same problems we had at the beginning of the season," Grizzlies coach Sidney Lowe said. "Their last four or five games, we only had 80-or-so points. You can’t beat teams if you can’t score the ball."

The Sonics held Grizzlies rookie and leading scorer Pau Gasol to just five points as the Spanish import missed all six shots from the field.

Gasol managed to contribute 12 rebounds. But every time he received the ball on the offensive end, Gasol attracted at least a pair of Sonics.

“We knew he was a major part of their offense. He was a guy who we could get a double-team to quickly and force the ball out of his hands," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "That’s what we wanted to do. We knew he was a big part of their offense."

“He was struggling for the first time in his life," fellow rookie Shane Battier said. "It’s hard when you’re constantly getting double-teamed. They would bring the double-teams on Pau as soon as he touched the ball. The rest of the team just didn’t make their shots."

Memphis shot just 22 percent (5-of-22) in the third quarter. The NBA team leader with a 46.6 field-goal percentage, Seattle outscored its host in the period, 23-12.

The strategy of double-teaming Gasol did not come as a surprise to Lowe.

“From talking to other people around the league, the word is to take Pau out by denying him the ball," he said. "They want to deny Shane (Battier) and Pau the ball and make the other guys score. We’re not doing that right now."

The Grizzlies enjoyed their biggest lead in the early moments of the contest. Wright hit a layup and a jumper to give Memphis a 4-0 lead. But Seattle dominated the rest of the way.

“At the beginning, I was feeling really energized," Wright said. "If we don’t have our point guard (Jason Williams or Brevin Knight), it’s going to be tough. Sometimes you just have to wait for these guys to come back from their injuries.

Williams, who leads the Grizzlies with 7.5 assists per game, remains listed as day-to-day with sore toes. Knight ranks second on the team with 5.8 assists per contest but is sidelined with left plantar fasciaitis.

"I’m down, everybody’s down," Wright said. "Nobody likes to lose like this. We’re going to have to fight to dig our way out of this slump.” The Sonics' defense also recorded 10 steals and used them to help establish an 18-4 edge in fast-break points.