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WEEKLY LEADERS |
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POINTS
Allen - 25.0
Lewis - 16.7
Radmanovic - 16.0
Murray - 14.0
Daniels - 12.7
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REBOUNDS
Evans - 14.0
Lewis - 5.0
Collison - 4.7
Allen - 4.0
Radmanovic - 3.3
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ASSISTS
Ridnour - 5.7
Allen - 5.0
Daniels - 3.7
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SUPERSONICS.COM PLAYER OF THE WEEK |
Reggie Evans
4.7 ppg, 14.0 rpg, 24.6 rp48, 8-10 fts
Here's hoping no fans were counting Evans' rebound total on Saturday with their hands; even had they removed their shoes and socks as Evans hit 20 rebounds, how on earth would they have counted number 21? It's not an issue that has been pondered in nearly a decade, as Evans became the first Sonics player to pull down 20 rebounds in a game since Shawn Kemp had 22 on Dec. 12, 1995. Evans became the 16th player in Sonics history to grab 20 rebounds, but only the third since 1990 (Michael Cage being the other player to do so). Evans' performance Saturday overshadowed his 15 rebounds Tuesday in Sacramento, when he was on the court down the stretch.
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January 31-February 6
Record for the week:2-1
Overall Record: 32-13
Standing: 1st, Northwest Division
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Kevin Pelton, SUPERSONICS.COM
Monday, Jan. 31, 2004
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San Antonio |
25 |
23 |
28 |
27 |
103 |
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at Sonics |
22 |
12 |
25 |
25 |
84 |
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The Sonics took the season's first two matchups with the San Antonio Spurs, but had to go to battle a third time without Coach
Nate McMillan and All-Star guard
Ray Allen. The Sonics trailed by just three points after one quarter, but Allen's absence in particular was felt in the second quarter, as Seattle was held to 12 points and trailed by 14 at the half. The Sonics never really threatened in the second half, falling 103-84 in their worst KeyArena loss of the season. San Antonio got double-doubles from
Tim Duncan (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Tony Parker (17 points, career-high-tying 10 rebounds) and were led by
Manu Ginobili's 23 points. No Sonics player scored more than 13 points.
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2004
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Sonics |
24 |
26 |
32 |
24 |
106 |
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at Sacramento |
26 |
23 |
26 |
26 |
101 |
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The Sonics tried to move on, traveling to Sacramento a night later to take on the Kings - who played without starters
Peja Stojakovic and
Chris Webber. Early on, it looked like another blowout, with the Kings taking a 20-9 lead, but the Sonics rallied to get within two at the half and took the lead to the locker room. The third quarter was wild, with Sacramento stars
Mike Bibby and
Brad Miller both picking up their fourth foul early in the period and five technical fouls whistled by the referees. The Sonics took advantage of the weakened Kings bench to lead by seven. Sacramento took a 97-94 lead with 3:49 to go, but the Sonics finished strong.
Rashard Lewis capped a 6-0 run by scoring in the post with 41 seconds left, and Seattle hit its free throws to finish out the win. Lewis scored 24 points,
Ronald "Flip" Murray had 23 and the Sonics bench combined for 45 points. Bibby led Sacramento with 25 points, but Miller - the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week - was held to four on 1-for-6 shooting before fouling out.
Saturday, Feb. 5, 2004
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Charlotte |
22 |
24 |
26 |
27 |
99 |
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at Sonics |
34 |
35 |
20 |
24 |
113 |
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From the opening tip, there was an aura of inevitability about the Sonics 113-99 KeyArena victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. The expansion Bobcats played without starters
Kareem Rush and
Emeka Okafor, while the Sonics got Allen back in the lineup. He quickly put to rest any questions about his health, scoring 14 points in the first quarter, and the Sonics lead after one was 12. The second quarter was more of the same, the Sonics running their way to a season-high 69 points and their largest halftime lead of the season, 23. Charlotte made things respectable in the second half, but never truly threatened. Allen's 25 led the Sonics, with
Vladimir Radmanovic scoring 23, Lewis 18 and Ridnour 17. But it was Evans' career-high 21 rebounds that were the bigger story for the Sonics. Charlotte's
Melvin Ely had a career-high 22 points to go with nine boards.
Antonio Daniels scored double-figures off the bench all three games last week. Click Here for a photo gallery including all of last week's games.
Jeff Reinking/NBAE/Getty
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McMillan Absent
The Sonics played all three games last week without McMillan after
his mother passed away the previous Sunday evening in McMillan's hometown of Raleigh, NC. For the third time in McMillan's tenure, that left Associate Head Coach
Dwane Casey at the helm of the Sonics. Casey did a masterful job of putting his own stamp on the team without upsetting the flow of the season. McMillan noted that he would not have brought Evans back in at the end of the Sacramento game after
Danny Fortson fouled out, but it worked as Evans was a factor on the boards and did not hurt them offensively. McMillan returned to Seattle Saturday.
Allen Ailing
Not long after the Sonics returned to Seattle after beating Golden State the previous Friday, Allen was in bed with the flu. On top of that, he later contracted a sinus infection. As a result, Allen missed Sunday's practice, the first two games of the week, then another practice on Thursday before returning Friday in time for Saturday's win over the Bobcats. Murray replaced Allen in the lineup and had a trying game against the Spurs and their stifling defense, missing 12 of his 17 shot attempts and committing five turnovers. He found his rhythm against the Kings, scoring a season-high 23 points and providing a solid imitation of Allen, before returning to the bench Saturday. Allen showed no ill effects against the Bobcats, scoring 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Around the Web
Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist David Locke argues that Allen should take the Sonics contract extension offer rumored to be on the table.
With Casey taking over for McMillan this week, Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times reminds us that the long-time veteran of the Sonics sidelines has already earned a head-coaching position that hasn't yet come.
Lewis is the Sonics "underground king," reports The News Tribune's Frank Hughes as he looks at Lewis' All-Star chances.
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