Live From The Press Box - Sonics vs. L.A. Lakers
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Lakers Win It
Posted at 9:57 p.m.
Your anti-climactic final: L.A. Lakers 117, Sonics 94. Kobe Bryant put on a clinic during the fourth quarter, scoring 21 of his 42 points. Caron Butler finished with 31. On the Sonics side, five players scored in double-figures, with Nick Collison matching his career high with 16 points, but there simply wasn’t enough firepower to keep up with the Lakers on this evening. Tomorrow night, they’ll try to clinch the Northwest Division in style by beating the Nuggets in Denver.
Houston Monday
Posted at 9:52 p.m.
After playing at Denver on Saturday, the Sonics are back at KeyArena Monday to take on Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets in what could be a first-round playoff preview. Don’t miss the excitement; both games between these teams have come down to the final seconds.
Get your tickets now!
Credit Caron
Posted at 9:45 p.m.
While Kobe Bryant, who now has 36 points, has passed him for the Lakers scoring lead, it’s been a very strong effort for Caron Butler, who has 31 points on 11-for-19 shooting. That ties his season high and is only four off his career high. I’ve never been a big Butler fan, even when he led all rookies in scoring in Miami in 2002-03, but he’s shown some serious skills since Lamar Odom was injured. This is the eighth time in the 11 games Odom has missed that Butler has scored at least 20 points, and he’s stepped up as the second option on offense for the Lakers.
Ray Allen briefly made things interesting with a trio of 3-pointers, but the Lakers have pushed the lead back to 20. The only drama at this point is when Mateen Cleaves will get some run.
Playoff Tickets On Sale Tonight!
Posted at 9:35 p.m.
The hottest tickets in town are for the Sonics first-round playoff series. They go on sale after tonight’s game at approximately 10:00 p.m., and you can get yours online.
Follow this link to purchase tickets!
To The Fourth Quarter
Posted at 9:25 p.m.
83-62 Lakers with 12 minutes to go, and there’s really not a lot to say. What kind of analysis can you do? The Sonics have nine healthy players right now, and one of them was activated from the injured list this afternoon. The Sonics are shooting just 38% and … they need to get healthy. What else can you say?
Reggie Fortson Times Two
Posted at 9:16 p.m.
We haven’t seen a lot of Reggie Evans and Danny Fortson playing together this season, but with Jerome James apparently unable to go, the two of them will get some run here late in the first quarter. You put these two guys on the court at the same time, and something is going to happen. I’m not sure what, but something.
Lewis Update
Posted at 9:06 p.m.
Rashard Lewis spoke briefly in the locker room about his condition. Tonight is the sixth straight game Lewis has missed, and he’ll also miss tomorrow night’s game in Denver.
“I’m trying to play next week,” Lewis said. “I haven’t been out on the court yet, so we’ll see how I feel when I get on the court and run.”
We Miss You Guys
Posted at 8:57 p.m.
You can’t fault the effort the Sonics are giving right now. Reggie Evans, Damien Wilkins and Nick Collison have been scrapping on the boards, but they’re not Rashard Lewis, they’re not Antonio Daniels, they’re not Vladimir Radmanovic, and that’s just too much talent for even a team like the Sonics to lose and be able to overcome. The bad news here is that the Sonics are not getting any favors from the Denver Nuggets. Moments ago, Sam Cassell’s late 3-pointer was off, allowing the Nuggets to come away with a 107-104 win at Minnesota. Denver is now a mere 20-2 since the All-Star break and showing no signs of slowing down. The Sonics are one win away form clinching the Northwest Division, but it sure feels like a lot more.
James Update
Posted at 8:51 p.m.
Jerome may give it a go at some point during this second half, but Nick Collison starts the third quarter in his place.
Halftime Stats
Posted at 8:48 p.m.
Obviously, when you trail by 14 points at halftime, there’s plenty of concern to go around. But I forgot to mention another important one, which is defensive rebounding. The Lakers had 10 offensive rebounds in the first half, including six from their starting frontline. Maybe some more Reggie Evans in the second half would help; Evans had seven rebounds in 12 minutes in the first quarter but did not see the court in the second period. Ray Allen also might want to look inside the line; he shot just 1-for-8 on 3-pointers in the first half.
Jerome James is out of the locker room and warming up before the second half. I’m not sure he’s 100%, but it looks like he’ll give it a go.
(Wild West) Comcast Shootout
Posted at 8:42 p.m.
An interesting twist to the Comcast Halfcourt Shootout - three contestants, with one having to choose whether to shoot or watch and hope the other two can’t hit from halfcourt in 60 seconds. Trevor chose to watch, a decision that was looking good before Chris buried a shot with about 10 seconds left to the delight of the crowd. On the other side, I’m afraid Michael was as bad as any contestant I’ve ever seen, failing to get within five feet of the hoop.
TGIHalftime
Posted at 8:34 p.m.
I think the final play of the first half about says it all. Ray Allen picks up Kobe Bryant across halfcourt and forces him into a fadeaway 25-foot three that narrowly beats the buzzer. Naturally, Bryant banks it in to give the Lakers a 56-42 lead going into the locker room. This half could not have ended more quickly for the Sonics, who are mired in a tremendous funk. Obviously, the absence of three of their leading four scorers means the Sonics are struggling for a reliable Batman to Ray Allen’s Robin. Luke Ridnour has eight points in the first half, but Flip Murray and Damien Wilkins - the guys who you can really look at as go-to scorers - have combined for only seven points and are shooting 3-for-9. Equally disconcerting, the Sonics finished with eight turnovers, which is way too many.
Like Another Hole in the Head …
Posted at 8:29 p.m.
Jerome James comes up limping as the Sonics go back on offense after a recent possession. He hobbled into the locker room with trainer Mike Shimensky. Boy, another injury is precisely what the Sonics needed. This is reaching Biblical plague proportions.
Soapbox
Posted at 8:23 p.m.
You hear a lot about how the Lakers and the Blazers, in particular, have given up on this season, how they’re tanking, how they’re more worried about draft position than winning games. If you look at their records, it’s hard not to come to that conclusion. But this is the second straight Friday night we’ve had one of those teams in KeyArena (and the Sonics also played in Portland on March 24) and … well, that hasn’t been the case at all. These two teams have given it their all and been very competitive. I know the Sonics are banged up and hurting, but you can tell effort from outcome, and the Lakers are giving it, just as the Blazers did. Count me with Nate McMillan when he talks about how there are no easy games this time of year because everyone’s playing for something, whether it’s the playoffs or a spot on the roster next year.
Salute to the Huskies
Posted at 8:18 p.m.
The Sonics are using this timeout to salute members of the UW Husky men’s basketball team on their outstanding season which included a Pac-10 Tournament Championship and earning a number one seed overall in the NCAA Tournament. The members of the team on hand (unfortunately, Will Conroy and Nate Robinson couldn’t make it back from Portsmouth, where Conroy as participating in the Portsmouth Invitational pre-Draft Tournament) drew raucous applause form the KeyArena crowd.
Sonics Lead It
Posted at 8:10 p.m.
With Flip Murray scoring the first bucket of the second quarter, the Sonics took the lead for the first time since the early going, and they’ve opened up a four-point advantage on the strength of a couple of Nick Collison putbacks and a Luke Ridnour three. The Sonics 2003 Draft Class has combined for 12 points so far. Vlade Divac made a vintage move a moment ago, going behind his head with a no-look feed to Caron Butler (who promptly blew the layup). We had a brief stoppage of play as referees worried that the light from an FSN camera interviewing UW Husky Jamaal Williams in the vom might distract players.
Sonics Run
Posted at 8:03 p.m.
Again, Live From The Press Box has its wish granted, as the Sonics clamped down on defense at the end of the first quarter. Getting a couple of steals and a nice Nick Collison block, the Sonics stop the Lakers on their last four possessions of the first quarter to get within one after one, 27-26. That means the Sonics ended the quarter on a 13-5 run. Now I’m going to take this opportunity to wish for good health for Rashard Lewis and Antonio Daniels.
Danny Fortson checks in for the Sonics to start the second quarter. I guess that shoulder is feeling better.
That’s More Like It …
Posted at 7:57 p.m.
The Sonics follow my plea for offense by burying three consecutive 3-pointers, with Luke Ridnour, Damien Wilkins and Ray Allen doing the honors. Allen has nine points on 4-for-7 shooting and is certainly pulling his weight. Now the Sonics need to crack down on defense; the Lakers have 27 points already, with all five scorers scoring at least two buckets.
Wanted: Scoring
Posted at 7:55 p.m.
The Sonics offensive woes, which have reared their ugly head since Rashard Lewis joined Vladimir Radmanovic on the sidelines, seemed to have subsided when all five Sonics starter scored in double-figures Tuesday in Sacramento. They’re back in full force tonight, as the Sonics have just 13 points nearly nine minutes into the first quarter. Most disconcerting is not that the Sonics are shooting 35.7% from the field, but that they’ve committed four turnovers. One of the keys listed by the Sonics coaching staff on the whiteboard in the locker room before tonight’s game was limiting to 10 turnovers or fewer. They’re currently on pace for more than twice that.
Injury Row
Posted at 7:45 p.m.
If, perchance, tonight’s basketball game is to be interrupted in favor of a fashion show (don’t rule it out), you have to like the Sonics chances. They have a formidable group of players in suits on or behind their bench. Antonio Daniels has joined Rashard Lewis as players on the active roster but sitting out. Nothing has changed with Daniels’ prognosis; he and Lewis are likely to miss tomorrow’s game in Denver as well. Vladimir Radmanovic is on the injured list, as now is rookie Robert Swift. Before the game, the Sonics activated Cleaves and moved Swift onto the injured list with tendinitis in his right knee.
While the Sonics are down to only four guards on the roster, Nate McMillan said before the game he is not expecting to use Cleaves. That could change because of foul trouble, injury or poor play. Danny Fortson was also listed as doubtful by McMillan, but Fortson is dressed. We’ll see if he plays.
Mismatchup
Posted at 7:40 p.m.
Rarely is it that the Sonics will have a mismatch because they’re much bigger at power forward than their opponent, not with 6-8 Reggie Evans manning the four, but that’s the case tonight. With Lamar Odom on the injured list with a shoulder injury, Jumaine Jones gets the start for the Lakers. (Devean George had been starting recently.) On consecutive early plays, both teams take advantage of the matchup, with Caron Butler nailing a jumper over Evans (Damien Wilkins was guarding Jones on that play) and Reggie Evans scoring in the post against Jones. This is one to keep an eye on.
Signing On
Posted at 7:25 p.m.
I would be lying if I said this one doesn’t quite have the same feel as Sonics-Lakers matchups of the past. The absence of Shaquille O’Neal changes things appreciably right off the top, but more important is the fact that the Lakers were eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday. The Lakers may still be from Hollywood, but their reputation no longer is - this is the emptiest in terms of media it’s been for a Lakers game since I started covering the Sonics, and certainly much before that. But fans have still packed the Key and this should be an exciting game between a couple of teams battling injuries. Stay with us all night long for the latest as the Sonics look to clinch the Northwest Division and make sure to hit refresh so you’re getting the latest.
