Live From the Press Box - Sonics vs. Minnesota
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Sonics Earn Blowout Victory
Final: Sonics 109, Minnesota 90
The Sonics played a dominant 24 minutes of basketball over the second and third quarters and parlayed that into their biggest win of the season by a 19-point margin, 109-90. To reiterate, the Sonics outscored Minnesota 63-29 in those middle two quarters. The Sonics never let up until the closing moments, by which point it was far too late for the Timberwolves to consider a comeback. The Sonics shot 53.7%, held Minnesota to 39.4% shooting and put six players in double-figures.
Jeff Green had a very strong entry to the starting lineup, scoring 18 points and blocking a career-high three shots. Wally Szczerbiak provided the scoring punch in the second quarter, scoring 15 of his 18 points in the period. Delonte West, Damien Wilkins and Nick Collison were also strong off the bench. Chris Wilcox (14 points, 11 rebounds) had a double-double before leaving and Kurt Thomas continued to do yeoman's work on the glass, pulling down 15 boards.
The Sonics will close out 2007 back here at the Key on Monday, New Year's Eve, against the Philadelphia 76ers. Join us to ring in the New Year and watch the Sonics take on a Sixers squad with some exciting young talent including Andre Iguodala and Louis Williams. 
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More Changes in Offing?
Fourth Quarter: Sonics 101, Minnesota 81
Sonics Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo intimated pretty strongly before tonight's game that tonight's lineup change moving Jeff Green into the starting lineup will not be the last lineup change the Sonics make.
"They've played together some, but we haven't looked at Kevin and Jeff starting - probably did in the preseason," said Carlesimo. "We haven't looked at them at two and three. We're going to look at that. We want to look at Luke, we want to look at Delonte, we want to look at Nick. We want to look at a lot of people."
Why is it important to Carlesimo to see different players as starters?
"It's different when you start," he explained. "You play against the front-line guys night in and night out and it's a different kind of matchup. It's different for guys off the bench. We've got to figure out if some guys are playing well because they're coming off the bench and they have more favorable matchups ore they can do the same thing against front-line guys - or vice versa. Some guys are better suited to starting, some guys are better suited to coming off the bench."
Wilcox Update
Fourth Quarter: Sonics 94, Minnesota 68
Chris Wilcox has a sprained left knee and will not return tonight, though with the Sonics in command it would make little sense to take any chances at this point.
Wilkins as a Reserve
Fourth Quarter: Sonics 94, Minnesota 68
Damien Wilkins isn't too worried about moving to the bench after starting the first 29 games of the season.
"It's nowhere I haven't been before," Wilkins said in the locker room before tonight's game. Understanding that the move is not due to his own play, he'll work to maintain his level as a reserve.
"I'll come off the bench with energy, effort and intensity."
The might even be an opportunity for Wilkins to snap something of shooting slump that he has gone through since opening the season very quickly, including his career-high 41-point effort in Atlanta.
"I haven't been in a good rhythm offensively," says Wilkins, though he points out that can change in a hurry. "All it takes is that one game to start to get going."
I don't know that tonight meets that standard, but Wilkins has put in a solid effort. He's got 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting as the Sonics bench has continued its strong play even with a slightly different look.
Sonics Keep Hammer Down
End Third Quarter: Sonics 84, Minnesota 59
The Sonics have not given the Minnesota Timberwolves any chance to think about the possibility of a comeback in the second half tonight. They've kept the hammer down and have outscored the Timberwolves 63-29 over the last two quarters. The Sonics have been very efficient on offense, shooting 54.8% from the field, hitting half of their three-point attempts and turning the ball over just seven times. The Timberwolves have also done a good job of taking care of the basketball - usually one of their biggest weaknesses - but have been unable to make their shots since the first quarter.
Wilcox Walks Off
Third Quarter: Sonics 80, Minnesota 56
Sonics forward Chris Wilcox went down on the last play when, on defense, Nick Collison accidentally rolled up on top of Wilcox's left leg. Wilcox stayed down for a while as the Sonics took timeout, but was able to leave the court under his own power, albeit significantly favoring his left leg.
The Sonics have gone small, with Jeff Green stepping in for Wilcox at power forward and a backcourt of Earl Watson and Delonte West.
Incidentally, Kevin Durant is out on the bench and cheering on his teammates.
All Sonics
Third Quarter: Sonics 78, Minnesota 52
Only so many ways to say it: Everything is working for the Sonics right now, and nothing is going right for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Our third-quarter score is Sonics 21, Minnesota 6. The Timberwolves have just 22 points since the end of the first quarter, a stretch of nearly 20 minutes.
The offense is clicking on all cylinders, and a lot of credit has to go to point guards Earl Watson and Delonte West. Watson and West together have 11 assists and just one turnover tonight.
Sonics in Control
Third Quarter: Sonics 66, Minnesota 49
The Sonics have continued to stifle Minnesota defensively since the break, allowing only a Ryan Gomes three-point play in nearly four minutes of action. They've expanded their lead to 17 points, the largest it has been tonight. Wally Szczerbiak has replaced Kevin Durant in the lineup to start the second quarter.
Let's throw some love Jeff Green's direction: The Sonics rookie has 10 points, four rebounds and a pair of blocks tonight, playing good, aggressive basketball.
All Sonics in Second Quarter
Halftime: Sonics 57, Minnesota 46
The 36 points scored by the Sonics in the second quarter tie their high for a quarter this season. They outscored the Timberwolves by an even 20 points to take a double-digit lead heading to the locker room. The Sonics finished the quarter in style, with a Jeff Green steal turning into a clear-path violation. Green hit one of the two free throws and Delonte West concluded first-half scoring with a jumper.
Four Sonics, including two reserves, have scored at least eight points. It's sixth man Wally Szczerbiak who leads all scorers with 15 at the half.
Sonics rookie Kevin Durant did not play in the second quarter after injuring his finger just before the end of the first quarter. He went for X-rays, which were negative, and has been diagnosed with a sprained left index finger. He will not return tonight.
Tale of Two Quarters
Second Quarter: Sonics 49, Minnesota 43
The Minnesota Timberwolves have controlled the first quarter of their matchups this season, while the Seattle SuperSonics have owned the second quarter. The trend is extremely pronounced. Minnesota has outscored the Sonics 56-32 in the two first quarters, while the Sonics - so far - have had a 60-33 edge in the second quarter. In Minnesota, the Sonics did not overcome a terrific Timberwolves start until after halftime; here the turnaround has been even more dramatic.
The Sonics have gotten 26 bench points so far tonight, to 23 from their starters and just 12 from the Minnesota second unit.
Sonics Reclaim the Lead
Second Quarter: Sonics 42, Minnesota 40
The Sonics have outscored Minnesota 21-10 here in the second quarter to erase the nine-point Timberwolves advantage and now take the lead. They did it on a play that showcased some strong passing. Damien Wilkins unselfishly motioned Delonte West into the post against Sebastian Telfair. West spun baseline and got to the basket, drawing double-team help. He kicked it to a cutting Chris Wilcox for the one-hand finish. The Sonics have a solid 12 assists tonight on 16 buckets.
Wally Szczerbiak has been on the receiving end of several of those assists. He's got a pair of three-pointers and has scored a team-high 10 points.
Bench Strength
Second Quarter: Minnesota 36, Sonics 34
The Sonics have gotten consecutive three-pointers of their own from Wally Szczerbiak and Damien Wilkins to get back within two of the Timberwolves and prompt a Randy Wittman timeout. Before tonight's game, P.J. Carlesimo again took time out to praise the performance of his bench, which has been particularly effective in the month of December. That shouldn't change with Wilkins as a part of the reserve group.
As for Szczerbiak, Carlesimo said, "I'm liking what Wally's giving us off the bench." Szczerbiak is continuing his reunion tour tonight. Having played against his most recent team, Boston, on Thursday, Szczerbiak tonight is matching up with his first (and only other) NBA team.
'Toine's Triples Power T-Wolves
End First Quarter: Minnesota 30, Sonics 21
A first quarter that was close throughout ended with back-to-back three-point hits from Minnesota reserve Antoine Walker. I figured the latter, just before the quarter buzzer, might bring out Walker's trademark shimmy, but no dice. The threes have given the Timberwolves the largest lead of the game by either side at nine points as we head to the second period of play.
Minnesota is shooting 61.9% from the field thus far, a number the Sonics will have to bring down. Meanwhile, Seattle has gotten some good looks but has had a tough time converting near the basket area thus far.
Timberwolves Take Early Lead
First Quarter: Minnesota 20, Sonics 17
This is not exactly a repeat of Dec. 14 in Minnesota, when the Timberwolves outscored the Sonics 26-11 during the first quarter, but Minnesota has been ahead most of the quarter - even if their current three-point lead matches their largest of the quarter. The Timberwolves have gotten a team-high six points apiece from center Al Jefferson (not a surprise) and guard Sebastian Telfair (more unexpected). Telfair is making the midrange jumper in the early going.
Incidentally, Minnesota also made a change to its starting lineup tonight. Head Coach Randy Wittman went with rookie Chris Richard alongside Jefferson up front instead of second-year man Craig Smith. After two quick Richard fouls, however, Smith was right in the game.
Green's Got to Play His Game
First Quarter: Minnesota 12, Sonics 10
This is not the first start of Jeff Green's NBA career - he started at power forward as part of a small lineup in November in Memphis. It's different, however, moving into the lineup as a regular starter. Still, Green doesn't explain to do anything differently.
"I'm going to go out there and continue to play my game, play hard until I need a sub," he said. "I'm going to continue rebounding, battle through plays and play hard."
So far, so good. Green has turned the ball over, but he's scored at the rim and made another aggressive take. He also was fouled just before the timeout shooting a hook shot, a Green favorite he's been able to knock down each of the last two games. Green has added a pair of boards.
Lineup Change
Pregame
The Sonics will have a slightly different look when they take the court for the opening tip tonight, just minutes away. Rookie Jeff Green will step into the starting lineup in place of Damien Wilkins and spend some time as the team's starter at small forward. The move wasn't motivated by Wilkins' play, but is instead part of Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo's desire to evaluate different players as starters and different lineups. Wilkins had started the first 29 games of the season at small forward; now Green will get his chance to team on the wing with fellow rookie Kevin Durant.
Signing On
Pregame
The Sonics are back at KeyArena tonight to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in a matchup of two young teams working to improve this season. The Sonics had the upper hand when these teams matched up in Minnesota two weeks ago yesterday and will try to win their fifth straight head-to-head matchup with the Timberwolves. This promises to be a competitive game, so stay with us throughout for the latest from the Key.
