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SuperSonics beat Lakers, 91-80
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Posted on Jan 25 2001
SEATTLE (AP) — Gary Payton scored 34 points and the Seattle SuperSonics continued their mastery of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 91-80 victory Tuesday night.
Ruben Patterson added 17 points for the Sonics, who beat the defending NBA champs for the third time in three tries this season under coach Nate McMillan.
Shaquille O’Neal led the Lakers with 29 points, but was 5-for-12 from the free-throw line. Kobe Bryant had 21 points, but shot 5-for-19.
Payton was 11-for-19 in 43 minutes in his second game back after serving a one-game suspension for getting into a shouting match with McMillan after a loss. He had 30 points in a victory over Sacramento at home Sunday night.
The Sonics outrebounded the Lakers 50-40, with Rashard Lewis grabbing 12 rebounds to O’Neal’s nine. Patrick Ewing returned to Seattle’s lineup after missing his first game of the season because of tendinitis of his left knee and played 22 minutes.
McMillan used 6-foot-10 rookie Olumide Oyedeji for 14 minutes and he managed to contribute six rebounds.
In the fourth quarter, the Sonics got 13 points from Payton, who made 11 free throws in 13 tries.
Patterson had the biggest basket of the quarter, a layup with 3:47 to go to give Seattle an 81-70 lead.
The Sonics held the Lakers, the league’s No. 1 offensive team, to 34.6 percent shooting (28-for-81).
Lewis hit his first basket of the game, an 18-footer, and Brent Barry made a 3-pointer in the final 2:12 of the third quarter as the Sonics grabbed a 64-54 lead. Rick Fox of the Lakers hit a 3-pointer with 1:08 on the clock.
The Sonics scored the first seven points of the second quarter, including a 3-pointer by Payton and a layup by Payton, to go in front 32-23. They led 48-41 at halftime, with Payton sinking a 19-footer with 1:29 to go.
In the first quarter, Vin Baker hit a wide-open 20-footer with three seconds left to give Seattle a 25-23 lead. That came after Barry’s second 3-pointer of the period for the Sonics on a pass from Baker after Baker grabbed an offensive rebound.
