The Sonics have looked in control so far and lead 49-48 at the half. It's the first time the Sonics have led at halftime since playing at Charlotte, when Seattle held a 49-47 lead.

Of course, Seattle got blown out in the second half.

Rookie Kevin Durant leads all scorers with 13 points, including a runner down the middle of the lane just before half to put Seattle up.

Seattle's hitting the boards strong, holding a 27-22 advantage of Indiana at the break.

Sonics fans shouldn't feel too bad about Orlando's Dwight Howard destroying Seattle inside on Wednesday. Howard finished with 30 points and 23 rebounds in a 1110-106 loss to Phoenix tonight.

strong>Indiana (8-8) at Seattle (2-14)

When: 7:30 p.m., KeyArena, Seattle

TV: None Radio: 770-AM

Series: Seattle won both contests last season by a combined three points. The Sonics hold a 39-27 overall advantage against the Pacers. Seattle lost to Indiana in a preseason game on Oct. 13, 97-87.

Scouting the Pacers: The Pacers have won their past two games, including a 95-89 victory at Portland on Wednesday.

Indiana missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons last season, but first-year coach Jim O’Brien has implemented an up-tempo style of play that seems to suit this young team. Indiana has won four of its past five games while averaging 105.8 points a contest.

Jermaine O’Neal, the Pacers’ leading scorer in five of the past six seasons, has been sidelined for five games by a sore left knee. However, O’Neal said he will play today.

Scouting the Sonics: Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said he’ll go with the same starting five tonight of Delonte West (point guard), Kevin Durant (shooting guard), Damien Wilkins (small forward), Chris Wilcox (power forward) and Kurt Thomas (center).

Luke Ridnour (torn left quad), Nick Collison (nasal fracture) and Robert Swift (right knee tendinitis, foot injury) will not play tonight.

Carlesimo said Swift is at least a couple weeks away from playing, still working on losing weight to help stabilize his knee.

Seattle will have to guard the 3-point line again tonight. Indiana averages 22 3-pointers a game, and shoots 34 percent from beyond the arc.

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the game here.

The Sonics also will have to keep the Pacers off the boards, particularly with O’Neal returning. Indiana ranks first in the NBA in rebounds per game (46.1).


Storm head coach Anne Donovan resigns: In a somewhat unexpected announcement, Seattle Storm head coach and general manager Anne Donovan resigned today. Karen Bryant, CEO of the Storm, held a press conference at KeyArena where she announced Donovan’s departure.

“She said it had nothing to do with relocation,” Bryant said. “She has every confidence the Storm are going to stay in Seattle, and that didn’t influence her decision. It didn’t have anything to do with her responsibilities associated with USA basketball. This really is about her having had five great years here and now she’s ready for a change.”

Read the story about Donovan leaving here. And listen to the full conversation with Bryant here.

Next: 6 p.m. Sunday vs. Golden State, KeyArena

The Sonics practiced light today, with players coming in do some shooting and lifting for about an hour, and injured players getting some treatment.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo talked to reporters afterward and had some interesting things to say about where the team stands right now.

On the performance and production at point guard:

“It seems that Earl has been here all the time, so we’ve gotten a chance to watch him a lot in practice and he’s got the most minutes by a sizable margin, especially if you combine the preseason.”

“Luke is the unknown now, which is kind of backwards because he’s been here the longest. He’s been a Sonic the longest and has played the most minutes for the franchise. But for us that hasn’t happened.”

Carlesimo went on to say the position is still muddled because Ridnour has been out, and Carlesimo wants to give Delonte West some more starts to see what he can do before he determines roles for all three guys.

“We’re not going to have the kind of resolution we want for awhile,” Carlesimo said. “I just think that there’s more that goes into it. I mean I think it is how they defend and how they’re running the team, not just the points and the assists and the field goal percentage, but the whole thing. I think they’ve done a decent job.

“When our record is what it is no one is going to get graded well – coaches, players or any position. I’m not throwing us all under the bus, but it would be inaccurate to say, ‘This position has been really good for us.’ It’s not. It’s all part of the team thing. And we’re not doing as good of job as we all feel we’re capable of doing.”

On the team’s 2-14 start:

“We’re not happy with a lot because we are not winning basketball games. We are making progress in terms of the team is playing better basketball now than two weeks ago.

“But losing basketball games is not the best way to learn. Sometimes you learn more when you lose than when you win, but a part of our learning is to learn how to win, too. And we haven’t done that yet. And that still to me colors the whole thing.

“To me it’s still we’ve got to find a unit that’s able to get better results than we’ve been getting. And I still believe we can be a lot more productive and a lot more successful than we’ve been so far, even with all of the other factors that are present.”

On Kevin Durant’s development:

“I think he is becoming better certainly with his decision making, and certainly with his shot selection. And he’s involving people more. We’re putting him in more pick-and-role situations than we did earlier. He’s getting more assists.

“Kevin gets a lot of touches because we go to him. So he’s going to get that. I think he’s doing a much better job playing within the offense, distributing the ball to other guys and not holding onto the ball when it’s not appropriate. He’s doing that much better recently than he did early.”

Carlesimo went on to say that Durant will remain a focal part of the offense as he continues to develop, but he does not see Durant becoming a Magic Johnson-type of player with him coaching. Carlesimo is a traditionalist who believes that’s the role of his point guard to run the offense and get the ball to his scorers.

“There are some guys who are good at getting themselves a shot but aren’t real good at creating situations and distributing to people when it’s there,” Carlesimo said about Durant. “I think he can do both. And it’s not something we taught him. He’s good at that. He sees people.”

While covering Seattle’s 2-14 start to the season has had its share of ups and downs, as beat reporters we have not reached the depression level apparently suffered by the folks covering the New York Knicks, as detailed in this story from the New York Observer.

Beat writers from the New York Times, the New York Daily News and other newspapers describe what they consider oppressive tactics by the Knicks’ PR staff, including one reporter who has a security guard tracking his every move at Madison Square Garden.

With a new regime taking over the Sonics media time has been regimented, with both players and coaches making themselves available during certain appointed times before and after games.

It’s definitely not as informal as it has been in the past, but the guys, at least from my perspective, have been accessible and for the most part willing to talk when I’ve asked for them. Hopefully that continues throughout the rest of the season

39 -- Orlando’s Dwight Howard was a monster inside for the Magic, finishing with 39 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots.

"The way Dwight was playing, they didn’t have an answer for him," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. "One guy couldn’t stop him. Two guys couldn’t stop him, so they put everybody on him."

17-2 -- Seattle cut Orlando’s lead to one point, 93-92, with 4:35 left, but the Magic finished on a 17-2 run to close out the 110-94 victory.

0-7 -- Seattle’s still winless at home. They’ve got four more games at KeyArena before heading back out on the road for a five-game trip in December.

9 -- That’s how many points Rashard Lewis had in his return to Seattle. Lewis shot a dismal 3-of-19 from the field.

"I was a little hesitant all night," Lewis said. "I was reminiscing and looking around at everybody and talking but it was good to get the win, especially coming back here in this building."

14 -- Seattle’s Kurt Thomas had a career-high 14 rebounds, along with six points tonight.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- He struggled from the floor (6-of-21) but still led the team with 22 points. Durant got to the foul line, shooting 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. He continues to be aggressive getting to the rack late in games.

Did you see that? -- Pick any dunk by Howard tonight. I think there were at least 10 of them, and usually a Sonic was underneath the basket trying to get out of the way.

Overheard -- "He’s unstoppable. He’s the next Shaq," uttered a fan from behind press row watching Howard dismantle Seattle’s defense.

Final take -- I talked to Luke Ridnour before the game and he said he’s feeling close to being ready to go. It’s been two weeks since Ridnour tore his left quad in Orlando Nov. 13. He shot some baskets before tonight’s game, and is hoping to get the OK to do some running in the next few days. But it will probably be at least a week before Ridnour is ready for game-time action.

Listen to the conversation with Ridnour here.

Seattle was competitive on the second of a back-to-back night against one of the hottest teams in the league, and actually closed the game to within a point after looking like they were going to get blown out in the third quarter.

But again, we’re talking about moral victories here. At 2-14 overall, Coach P.J. Carlesimo has to be working hard to keep the locker room together. With 12 guys with different agendas and the team struggling to get some wins, it seems like the Sonics are on the edge of fracturing somewhat, although everyone continues to toe the company line in interviews.

It will be interesting to see which guys continue to stick with the program as the losses keep mounting.

Having Kurt Thomas in the middle certainly helps Seattle’s cause. Thomas does all of the little things that keep the Sonics in games. The Sonics need more glue guys like Thomas to help finish games at the end.

12 -- The amount Seattle was outscored in the third quarter, 31-19, which pretty much was the game for the Sonics.

12 -- The number of points Los Angeles outscored the Sonics from the foul line. The Lakers went 30-of-36 from the free throw line, compared to Seattle’s 18-of-28 from the line.

35 -- Number of points Kobe Bryant scored tonight. Bryant also had eight rebounds and six assists.

“I just had to bring it back out (mid range jump shots),” Bryant said. “It’s time when I start getting more aggressive offensively, I usually start bringing out the pull-up jump shot, which usually keeps a lot of team off-balanced.”

24 -- The amount of assists Los Angeles had, on 36 field goals. That really shows how well the Lakers were moving the ball and finding the open man.

2-13 -- Seattle’s record on the year, again tying a franchise-record for futility to start the season, dating back to the team’s inaugural season of 1967-68. Seattle’s also currently on a five-game losing streak

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- Durant followed up a strong shooting performance against San Antonio with another one, shooting 10-of-19 from the field and finishing with 25 points.

“Early on I was being a little too forceful as far as trying to force my shot just to get them up,” Durant said about his early season shooting woes. “I think now I’m being a little more patient and waiting for my teammates to try to get me open or find me in transition.”

Listen to Durant talk about the game here.

Did you see that? -- Jeff Green took his man off the dribble, cocked the ball back and dunked forcefully over Los Angeles 7-footer Andrew Bynum. Green has been playing with more of an attitude lately. A close second was Chris Wilcox’s dunk over Chris Mihm.

Overheard -- Sonics assistant Paul Westhead said this to security person working near the locker room who asked to see his credential. Westhead didn't have a credential at the time. "I was coaching here before you were even born," Westhead told the security guy. Westhead led the Lakers to the 1980 NBA title.

Final take -- Seattle played with energy for most the game, except for the third quarter where the Sonics lost this one.

A pretty good effort by Seattle’s inside players on matching up against the bigger guys from Los Angeles. Kurt Thomas provided inside might with 13 rebounds in 29 minutes. Still, Carlesimo has not found the right combination of players working well together throughout the whole game to give this team the consistency it needs to win games.

Durant is playing better and really seems like he’s coming into his own. So is Jeff Green. He’s struggled shooting from the perimeter, which is kind of surprising because I thought he would be a good perimeter scorer after watching him this summer.

But he’s been much better getting his shot off inside than I thought he would be. And Green is mean, giving Seattle another enforcer inside along with Thomas.

It would be nice to see a win every once in awhile, but Seattle seems to be improving. Now they just need to breakthrough again on the scoreboard.

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the game here.

It's not your typical NBA crowd when you see Lindsey Lohan, Jack Nicholson and Don Cheadle courtside.

And that's not even mentioning second-rate celebs like Stephen A. Smith. But's that's what's going on here at halftime with Seattle taking on the Lakers.

Oh yeah, there's a game going on, too, and Seattle is hanging tight tied at 54-all.

Kobe already has 21 points at the half, but Seattle has stayed close with Chris Wilcox leading the way (14 points).

Delonte West is struggling in his first start, with four points and no assists in 11 minutes so far.

Sonics Pregame

Seattle (2-12) at Los Angeles Lakers (7-6)

When:7:30 p.m., Staples Center, Los Angeles

TV: FSN. Radio: 770-AM

Series: This is the first meeting of the season between the two teams. Seattle was 1-3 against the Lakers last season, with the Sonics only win a 117-101 victory at home on Nov. 5.

Scouting the Lakers: Los Angeles is ranked fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 105.2 points a contest. … Lakers center Kwame Brown has missed the last four games after spraining his knee and ankle a week ago against the Bulls. ... Los Angeles recently made a trade with Orlando, sending forward Brian Cook and guard Maurice Evans to the Magic for defensive stopper Trevor Ariza, who saw his first minutes for the team for the Lakers, playing seven minutes and scoring four points against New Jersey. … Twenty-year-old 7-footer Andrew Bynum is averaging a double-double for the Lakers, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10.2 rebounds a game. … Gonzaga product Ronny Turiaf has started eight games for the Lakers, averaging 7.3 points a contest.

Scouting the Sonics: Having lost the last four games Seattle will try to get a win against a team that dominated them inside the paint during an exhibition game in October.

Again, Seattle will need a strong effort from its frontcourt, including Kurt Thomas, Chris Wilcox and Nick Collison.

The Sonics also must take care of the ball and get out on the break when they have opportunities in order to get easy buckets.

Delonte West will start for the first time this season. Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said West is getting his chance to start just like Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour before he got injured. West has finished the last two games because he’s been playing well, but Carlesimo said the last five guys on the floor are basically the one’s who have earned it by playing well during the game.

The Lakers hurt Seattle inside in the exhibition game in October, so Carlesimo said the key tonight, besides containing Kobe Bryant, will be matching the Lakers’ intensity inside.

Listen to the rest of the conversation with Carlesimo here.

Marques Johnson will call his second Seattle game of the season tonight. Johnson talked about Seattle’s late-game struggles.

"It just seems like this team has these breakdowns in the third quarter, usually defensively, like against San Antonio," Johnson said. "They give up a lot of interior buckets, a lot of miscommunication and bad turnovers on offense.

"And it kind of spoils 40 minutes of good basketball – these five to eight minutes stretches where they don’t play well, which on the flip side is something I think is real correctable."

So can you blame Seattle’s struggles late in games on being a young team?

"You can only use that as an excuse for so long," Johnson said. "They’ll develop it. But they’ve got veterans, enough guys that have been in the league for awhile, Earl Watson has been around seven years, guys like that, who have to do a better job of kind of stabilizing and settling the team down when they sense things are getting out of sorts."

Injured: Luke Ridnour (torn left quad) and Robert Swift (right knee tendinitis) are out. Johan Petro (lower back strain) is a game-time decision.

Next: Wednesday vs. Orlando, 7 p.m., KeyArena

It’s been awhile, so let’s take a look at the Northwest Division today. Here are the standings, with Seattle bringing up the rear. And we’ll take a look at a couple links on Seattle’s opponent tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles: All the talk in the papers down here in La La Land is what is wrong with the Lakers, after losing three straight games. Lamar Odom blames himself in this article from the Los Angeles Times and another one in the Los Angeles Daily News.

Check out video interviews with Odom and Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson here.

Seattle (2-12) – He’s only played 14 games, but already some NBA analysts are labeling Kevin Durant’s rookie season a disappointment so far, and I would say unfairly.

At 19-years old Durant is the No. 1 option offensively for Seattle, has no one to consistently get him the ball for easy buckets, and has no consistent inside presence to take some of the scoring pressure off of him.

Here are two of the critiques, one a Wages of Wins analysis and another by respected ESPN analyst John Hollinger. ESPN’s Ric Bucher comes to Durant’s defense here.

Utah (10-5) – The Jazz are 6-1 at home and lead the division by a half game over Denver. Utah forward Andrei Kirilenko told the New York media in this Salt Lake Tribune story that he is a changed man, and that led to some of his issues over the summer when he asked Utah to trade him. But now a solid contributor for the Jazz, Kirilenko is happy.

Denver (9-5) – Kenyon Martin only suffered a bone bruise on the same knee he had season-ending microfracture surgery on last season, which has Nugget fans breathing easier. Martin should only be out a few games according to this Denver Post report.

J.R. Smith wants to continue a tradition he started last season by throwing his jersey into the stands after each game. Problem is, all 82 jerseys haven’t been delivered yet.

Portland (5-9) – The Trail Blazers lost to Orlando 85-74 Monday night. The Magic will be in Seattle to take on the Sonics on Wednesday. The Blazers are going through an identity crisis. Near the bottom of the league in scoring at 92.2 points a game, Portland coach Nate McMillan wants his team to play up-tempo. But his players have not caught on to the new system.

Minnesota (2-10) – The T-Wolves snapped a five-game losing streak by beating New Orleans on the road. Minnesota center Theo Ratliff said he will probably have exploratory surgery on his injured right knee.

53 -- The number that Seattle shot from the field, but the Sonics still managed to lose to the Spurs, 116-101 at home.

27 -- The number of points Wally Szczerbiak had for the game, including 20 points in the second quarter and 11 straight during a 3-minute stretch of the second quarter. Szczerbiak said he’s still adjusting to his role of coming off the bench for Seattle.

“You have to figure out a way to contribute right when you get out there,” Szczerbiak said. “That’s my job. I’m not used to it. I’ve been starting my whole career. And when you’re starting you can miss a few shots, maybe go to the basket and get some free throws and the hook is not quite as quick. But that’s one thing I have to deal with right now.”

39-29 -- San Antonio’s rebound advantage of Seattle, including nine offensive rebounds, several of which came in critical moments of the game when the Sonics needed stops.

11 -- The number of 3-pointers San Antonio drained. The Spurs were 10-12 from 3-point range in the first half.

2-12 -- Seattle’s record on the year, tying a franchise-record for futility, dating back to the team’s inaugural season of 1967-68.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- Durant had one of his best offensive games of the season, finishing with 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field against one of the best defenders in the league in San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen.

“The biggest thing was my teammates setting good screens,” Durant said. “And they were in good positions on the floor. They were wide open. And I think my teammates opened up some opportunities for me to get some easy buckets.”

Did you see that? -- Chris Wilcox took off from beyond the paint in finishing a thunderous dunk over Duncan early in the first half. But he also missed a dunk late in the game that proved costly as Seattle tried to scrape back in the game.

Overheard -- For one of the best defenders in the game, Bruce Bowen seems to do his fair share of whining to the refs. Bowen pleaded his case to the refs after being called for a foul every time it seemed, to no avail.

Final take -- Nothing to be ashamed about here. The Sonics played the defending NBA champions tough but couldn’t finish, which has been the case all season for Seattle.

The only way Seattle will win consistently is if they improve on the defensive end. And it’s slowly happening. The Sonics are getting better in their defensive rotations and forcing misses, but now they have to rebound better defensively. And that means the guards need to help out more because of Seattle’s lack of size inside.

It doesn’t get any easier for Seattle as they face the L.A. Lakers on the road on Tuesday.

Listen to P.J. Carelesimo talk about the game here.

Wally Szczerbiak talks about getting used to his new role.

And Kevin Durant talks about his game here.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said he will start Kurt Thomas tonight at center, mainly so he can play him a little over 20 minutes, with a planned six-minute stint in each quarter.

Carlesimo also wants to match Thomas up against Duncan at the beginning of the game.

Chris Wilcox (sprained left ankle) also should go tonight, and Johan Petro (lower back strain) feels much better today and could play. Robert Swift (right knee tendinitis) and Luke Ridnour (partially torn left quad) are out.

Carlesimo said hello to several San Antonio players during pregame warm-ups, including ex-Sonic Brent Barry.

Barry had this to say about Carlesimo getting another head coaching opportunity:

"I think having this head coaching opportunity is a bit of a reprieve for him," Barry said. "After the things that happened to him in the past -- obviously the incident in Golden State and that not always being tagged with P.J.

"It’s nice for him to sort of be free of that, and have another opportunity to teach and help some young players grow because P.J. has a lot of knowledge and a lot of experience in this game. And we’re really happy for him."

And on the Sonics possible relocation to Oklahoma City, Barry said:

"I’m with everybody else," Barry said. "I think it’s tragic that this team and this franchise would move out of the Emerald City, knowing it’s history and the type of support they have here for so many years.

"A lot of the guys say it’s one of their favorite stops on the road, to come up to the Northwest and enjoy the city and the downtown area. And I just think it would be a shame if there wasn’t a franchise here. But it sounds like things are moving in the opposite direction, and who knows at the 12th hour is someone is going to come knocking and save this thing. But I hope for the city’s sake and the fan’s sake that they stay here."

Listen to the full conversation with Brent Barry here.

San Antonio (11-2) at Seattle (2-11)

Tipoff: 6 p.m., KeyArena.
TV: FSN. Radio: 770-AM.

Series: Seattle lost all four meetings to the Spurs last season by an average of 27.3 points a game.

Scouting the Spurs: San Antonio, along with the Boston Celtics, are playing the best basketball in the NBA right now. San Antonio comes to Seattle on a four-game winning streak. The Spurs have held 10 of their 13 opponents under 100 points and rank No. 1 in the league in terms of taking care of the ball with just 12.4 giveaways a game. ... Tony Parker leads the team in scoring at 20.4 points a contest and has scored over 30 points twice this season. Parker also averages 6.5 assists a game. Perennial All-Star Tim Duncan averages 18.2 points and 9.8 rebounds a game. And Manu Ginobili averages 19.8 points a contest.

After working as San Antonio’s top assistant the past five seasons, Carlesimo knows the Spurs well. So does Carlesimo’s boss, Seattle general manager Sam Presti, who served as San Antonio’s assistant general manager and worked with the organization since 2000.

"There's always kind of a yin to a yang when it comes to a coaching staff," Spurs guard and ex-Sonic Brent Barry told the San Antonio Express-News . "I don't want to call P.J. a yang, because that doesn't sound complimentary, but P.J. was a great balancing act for the coaching staff. But we could see that chemistry between Pop and Coach Carlesimo."

The question is, can Carlesimo or Presti of them use that familiarity with San Antonio to their advantage?

"Knowing what plays they are going to run is not going to be a challenge," Carlesimo said. "Stopping them from executing is going to be a challenge."

Scouting the Sonics: Seattle has lost three in a row and are still winless (0-5) at KeyArena this season. Seattle will again only have 11 players available. Luke Ridnour (partially torn left quad), Robert Swift (right knee tendonitis) and Johan Petro (lower back strain) will not play.

Chris Wilcox (sprained left ankle) and Kurt Thomas (right hamstring strain) should be available today. Thomas, who has played Duncan well in the past, should see a lot of time defensively against Duncan.

Seattle, which is giving 108 points a game – second worst in the league, and turning the ball over 18.6 times a contest, will have its hands full against a veteran team like the Spurs.

In order to stay close Seattle needs to shoot the ball well, turn the game into a track meet in order to get some easy scores and defend the basket.

One thing working in Seattle’s favor is the Sonics manage to stay in games at home this season, losing by single digits in all five losses and having a chance to win in the fourth quarter.

Next: 7 p.m. Tuesday at Los Angeles Lakers, Staples Center.

14 -- The number of points and rebounds Seattle rookie Jeff Green put up against New Jersey. The Georgetown product has been impressive in his last two game, notching consecutive double-doubles, and has been one of the few bright spots for Seattle.

21 -- The number of turnovers Seattle had, including 13 in the first half. The miscues led to 21 points for New Jersey. If you don’t have the ball you can’t score.

30 -- That’s how much New Jersey’s go-to player Richard Jefferson finished with, including most coming inside. Jefferson also finished 9-of-11 from the free-throw line. Jefferson played 42 minutes

0-5 -- Seattle’s record at home.

12 -- The amount Seattle was outscored inside the paint (44-32).

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- Durant made some big shots late in the quarter to keep Seattle close. He finished with 12 points and five rebounds, shooting 4-of-12 from the field. He seemed a bit tentative in his shot selection.

Did you see that? -- Jeff Green went baseline and reversed dunked over Richard Jefferson. It was one of several nice offensive moves for Green.

Overheard -- “This is really sloppy,” a fan from behind press row said after one of Seattle’s 13 turnovers in the first half.

Final take -- Another close finish, another tough loss for Seattle. Delonte West was still in his uniform when reporters were allowed to enter the locker room, but he went to shower when asked if he wanted to talk and said he would answer questions later. West was polite about it, but obviously took the loss hard.

It was tough because without West’s 10 points in the fourth quarter Seattle doesn’t have a chance to win. But he made a critical turnover with Seattle down three points, 95-92 and the Sonics having a chance to tie.

But that’s been how Seattle’s season has gone -- turnovers and critical mistakes with the game on the line keeps costing Seattle wins.

Listen to P.J. Carlesimo talk about the game here. And Kurt Thomas says his team’s spirits are still up.

Losing by double digits since early in the second quarter, Seattle has shown some life here late in the third, closing New Jersey's lead to 68-61 with 3:46 left.

The difference has been Seattle pushing the tempo more in the third. Kurt Thomas also has played solid defense inside since coming in midway through the third quarter.

That's what the Sonics need to do tonight. So far the game has been played at a walk-it-up, half-court pace which favors a veteran team like New Jersey.

Seattle had no fast-break points in the first quarter, and trails 28-20 after the opening quarter.

The Nets are shooting 66.7 percent from the field, led by Vince Carter's nine points off the bench. Richard Jefferson has eight points.

Kurt Thomas is starting to open the second quarter. Let's see if he makes a difference inside.

Seattle -- Earl Watson, Kevin Durant, Damien Wilkins, Nick Collison and Chris Wilcox.

New Jersey -- Jason Kidd, Antoine Wright, Richard Jefferson, Malik Allen and Jason Collins.

New Jersey (5-7) at Seattle (2-10)

When: 7:30 p.m., KeyArena, Seattle
TV: ESPN. Radio: 770-AM

Series: It’s the first meeting of the year between the two teams. Seattle has won the last three contests, including both games last year -- a 119-113 win in New Jersey and a 99-87 victory at Seattle.

Scouting the Nets: New Jersey is in the midst of a four-game road trip out West, and defeated Portland 106-101 on Wednesday, snapping a six-game losing streak. Vince Carter returned from a sprained right ankle, coming off the bench to score 13 points. Jason Kidd recorded his 90th career triple-double with 12 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds. … Richard Jefferson leads New Jersey in scoring at 24.5 points a contest, ranking him eighth in the league. … Kidd, a 14-year veteran, continues to fill up the stat sheet, averaging 10.9 points, 10.5 assists and 8.8 rebounds a contest. Kidd has finished the season ranked in the top five in assists the last 12 straight seasons. He is one of two players to accomplish the feat (Bob Cousy finished in the top five in assists 13 straight times, from 1950-51 to 1962-63).

Injured: Marcus Williams (broken right foot), Darrell Armstrong (right thigh contusion).

New Jersey head coach Lawrence Frank on playing the 2-10 Sonics: “We only have three more wins then they do. So we’re not coming in with a false sense of self.”

Scouting the Sonics: Stopping perimeter penetration and protecting the basket will be the keys for Seattle. The Sonics have been burned defensively the last two games, and need to play better defensively to stay close to the Nets.

New Jersey has several big man they can throw into the lineup with Jason Collins (7-0), Sean Williams (6-10) and Josh Boone (6-10). However, New Jersey will probably play a smaller lineup tonight with Slovenian Bostjan Nachbar (6-9) at power forward.

Kurt Thomas will be available to play limited minutes for Seattle tonight. But Johan Petro will sit with a lower back strain, Robert Swift is out with a sore knee, and Chris Wilcox is has a sprained left ankle. Wilcox is a game-time decision.

Carlesimo said if Wilcox can’t go then rookie Jeff Green will play a lot of power forward tonight.

Carlesmo said Swift also has a heel injury, and his working to take off some of the 40 pounds he’s gained over the last year to help in his recovery from off-season knee surgery. Carlesimo believes taking off some of the weight from his 280-pound frame could take some of the stress off of his knees.

“It wasn’t just weight, it was strength,” Carlesimo said. “He got a lot stronger over the summer, which is very good.

“Unfortunately now in the midst of a rehab it’s not good. And the bigger problem is getting the weight off when you’re not able to do anything – you can’t run and you can’t get on the floor – it’s really hard to get down.”

Listen to the rest of the Carlesimo conversation here.

With all the injuries to Seattle’s big men seldom-used Mouhamed Sene could see increased playing time. Sene’s only played in three games this season and 13 minutes overall, but when he’s been in Sene has altered shots inside with his long wing span.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said Seattle will have its hands full containing the Nets’ big three of Kidd, Carter and Jefferson at point guard, shooting guard and small forward.

“All three of them can bounce the ball,” Carlesimo said. “They can post up. It’s kind of a unique group. These guys can all shoot 3’s. They’re all post-up players. And they’re all very good rebounders for smalls. It’s kind of an interesting trio unlike no other one I can think of in the league.

Injured: Luke Ridnour (left quad tear), Johan Petro (Lower back strain), Robert Swift (right knee tendinitis). Chris Wilcox (left ankle sprain).

Next: Sunday: vs. San Antonio, 6 p.m., KeyArena

2-3 -- How Seattle finished on the road trip, which should be somewhat disappointing for P.J. Carlesimo and the players because they lost by double-digits in the last two games.

53.3 -- That’s what Memphis shot from the 3-point line, going 8-of-15 from beyond the arc as Seattle again failed to guard the perimeter.

66-48 -- The Grizzlies scoring advantage inside, as the Sonics couldn’t handle Memphis’ inside quickness.

17 -- Seattle’s high scorer was Delonte West, who finished with 17 points. But most of those came in Garbage time..

24 -- Stromile Swift (Yes, I know) led Memphis with 24 points and five rebounds. He led seven Grizzlies in double figures.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- Another so-so night from the field. Durant finished 2-of-8 finishing with 11 points. He did go 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.

Did you see that? -- Memphis swingman Rudy Gay had a rim-shaking dunk in the first half that I’m sure will make Sportcenter. He double-pumped and jammed it with one hand off a Memphis steal, bringing the crowd to its feet.

Overheard -- A fan asked Memphis forward Hakim Warrick where Gay’s dunk would rate on Sportcenter’s top 10, and he lifted one finger up.

Final take -- Well, it’s certainly not how Seattle wanted to finish its five-game road trip, getting blown out twice in three nights. After winning two games in a row, the team seemed to be playing well, but took a couple steps back in their progress with the last two losses.

A team built on defense and toughness should not get ran out of the gym on consecutive nights. But again, you can attribute the losses to young players playing important roles for Seattle.

Kurt Thomas being out continues to hurt Seattle. They really need a veteran presence inside that can help them with defensive rotations to cut down on all of the easy buckets they are giving up. But the defense on the perimeter has to get better, too. Teams are driving to the basket at will, and the Sonics don’t seem to be able to keep anyone in front of them.

Listen to a frustrated Damien Wilkins talk about the game here. P.J. Carlesimo comments on Seattle’s defensive struggles. And Chris Wilcox says it’s all about effort.

The Sonics are struggling to keep up with Memphis guards Damon Stoudamire and Juan Carlos Navarro. The two have combined for 21 points and five assists in the first half.

Compounding the problem of dribble penetration is Seattle's lack of size inside with Robert Swift and Kurt Thomas both out.

Chris Wilcox, Nick Collison and Johan Petro all had three fouls in the first half, which meant Mouhamed Sene had to play the final three minutes.

Seattle trails 68-53 at the half. They managed to cut Memphis' lead to eight points, 58-50, with about three minutes left, but the Grizzlies went on an 18-3 run the rest of the way.

Seattle doesn't have a single player in double figures. Jeff Green, Chris Wilcox, Kevin Durant and Wally Szczerbiak all have seven points.

Seattle has let Memphis get whatever it wants offensively in the first quarter.

The Grizzlies are 5-of-5 from the free-throw line and 14-of-21 from the field, and lead Seattle 38-24 at the end of the first quarter.

Damon Staoudamire lead Memphis with 11 points, including two 3-pointers.

Seattle is shooting a dismal 8-of-24 (33 percent) from the field in the first quarter.

As they did against Memphis at the Key, Seattle is not getting out to the perimeters shooters.

Rookie Jeff Green got his first start, playing the opening quarter and finishing with four point and six rebounds.

If Seattle doesn't come out and play in the second quarter they can begin packing their backs for Seattle at halftime.

Seattle (2-9) at Memphis (2-7)

When: 5 p.m., Fed Ex Forum, Memphis

TV: FSN. Radio: 770-AM

Series: This is the second contest between the two teams. Sonics lost an earlier season game to Memphis in Seattle, 105-98 on Nov. 7.

Scouting the Grizzlies: The Grizzlies lost their third straight game Saturday night to Dallas, 108-105. Memphis has lost three straight by a combined eight points. Guard Juan Carlos Navarro, the team’s best 3-point shooter at 52 percent from beyond the arc, had two chances to tie the game in the final moments but failed to drain both 3-point attempts. … … Memphis ranks sixth in the league in scoring (104 ppg.) but is the second-worst team in terms of points given up by its opponent (108.88). Center Darko Milicic is questionable with a sprained left thumb. Milicic is averaging career highs in scoring (10.3) and rebounds (7.6) after signing with the Grizzlies as a free agent in July. He missed Saturday's game and injured the thumb in Friday's overtime loss against New Orleans. Rookie point guard Mike Conley has a strained right shoulder and also is a game-time decision.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said the Sonics will have to do a better job of guarding the 3-point line against the Grizzlies, who rank third in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (40 percent).

“They shoot a lot of threes and they shoot them well,” Carlesimo said. “They’re No. 3 in the league. And they beat us on the dribble a lot. We gave up probably more penetration against them than we did against anybody so far.”

Mike Miller and Rudy Gay were the main culprits that the Sonics did not handle very well defensively back in Seattle. Miller finished 6-of-10 from the 3-point line and had 20 points. And Gay led all scorers with 25 points, and also pulled down 10 rebounds.

“To me it’s more on our smalls tonight," Carlesimo said about his team's effort on defense. "They have to guard the ball better. They have to guard the 3-point line better. And they have to give us defensive rebounds. We need like 15 to 20 rebounds out of the one, two and three.”

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the matchup with Memphis here.

Scouting the Sonics: Seattle will play its fifth straight game without the services of Robert Swift. The 7-footer has been traveling with the team while sitting out of the games during the trip due to tendinitis s in his surgically repaired right knee.
Guard Luke Ridnour (partially torn left quad) is out. And Center Kurt Thomas also is doubtful for tonight’s game, which means Seattle will play smaller again tonight. That could be a problem for Seattle if Milicic can go tonight.

Seattle will be looking to finish the trip with a 3-2 record if they can get a win tonight. After the Memphis game, Seattle will play seven of its next eight games at home.

Thomas has not played in two games since providing a spark but re-injuring his strained right hamstring against Miami. He talks about his injury and the importance of finishing the road trip strong here.

Next: Friday vs. New Jersey, 7:30 p.m., KeyArena

Back home in his native North Carolina, Wilcox has been impressive. In the first half he's got 20 points and seven rebounds, helping the Sonics take a 49-47 lead into halftime.

Seattle is behind in all of the hustle categories. Charlotte leads in fastbreaks points (12-6), second-chane buckets (11-5) and rebounds (31-20).

However, Seattle is ahead because they've gotten to the foul line. The Sonics are 18-of-22 from the free-throw line, compared to Charlotte's 4-of-7.

The Sonics are doing what you're supposed to do on the road, hang tough and see if you can steal the game at the end.

The Sonics just started to get their legs under them toward the end of the first quarter. Seattle shot 3-of-15 to open the game and trailed 13-5 early on.

But the Sonics worked their way back into the game by hitting the boards and getting some stops defensively.

Seattle is shotting 7-of-24 from the floor (29 percent) and Charlotte isn't doing much better at 9-of-22 (40 percent) from the field.

The Sonics are lucky to be tied at 22-all at the end of the first quarter.

SEATTLE (2-8) AT CHARLOTTE (4-4)

Tipoff: 4 p.m., Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte, N.C.
TV: None.
Radio: 770-AM.
Series: Seattle won both meetings last season. Charlotte trails the all-time series 5-1, with the Bobcats only win coming on Feb. 6, 2006.

Scouting the Bobcats: Charlotte’s 4-4 mark is the team’s best start in franchise history after eight games, and the latest the team has been .500 or better. .. Gerald Wallace (17.6) leads the Bobcats in scoring, and Emeka Okafor (12.5 ppg, 12.1 rpg.) leads Charlotte in rebounding. … The Hornets have had to deal with the injury bug this season. Former Gonzaga star Adam Morrison (torn left knee ligament) and Sean May (right knee surgery) are out for the season, and Othella Harrington (left knee surgery) also is on the mend. … Charlotte traded its No. 8 overall draft pick for Jason Richardson on draft day.The former Golden State Warrior is averaging 16.4 points and 5.5 rebounds a contest.

“I think Jason (Richardson) and (Gerald) Wallace, that’s unbelievable combination at the (shooting guard) and the (small forward) to try and defend,” Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said about Charlotte.

Scouting the Sonics: Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said he’ll try to use his bench more tonight after the team’s double-overtime win over Atlanta on Friday. The team got into Charlotte at about 2 a.m. this morning. Kurt Thomas again is a game-time decision, and Robert Swift (right knee) and Luke Ridnour (left quad) are still out.

“Our biggest concern will be fatigue and energy,” Carlesimo said. “But if we’ve got that, then you have enough problems just dealing with Charlotte. We need to make sure we have energy, particularly early, because they are capable of jumping on you.”

Carlesimo will have to get his guys refocused after the big win. Damien Wilkins said he received several calls from family and friends after his 41-point effort against Atlanta. He said he didn’t have a chance to watch any of the highlights on TV, and is ready to move on to Charlotte.

"They’ve been calling me all day and I haven’t even been answering the phone," Wilkins said. "I’m trying to focus on this game. Last night was great, but it’s over with and we’ve got another game we’ve got to focus on."

Wilkins said his father Gerald Wilkins, who sat courtside watching the game with uncle Dominique Wilkins, had two words for his son. "Stay focused," Damien Wilkins said.

Listen to the rest of the conversation with Wilkins here.

Carlesimo had this to say about rookie Kevin Durant’s game-winning shot.

“His length is a huge plus,” Carlesimo said. “It’s like when you try and guard (Tracy) McGrady, and Joe (Johnson) last night to an extent, sometimes when you play a guys that big who’s a jump shooter, you’ve got a problem. Because usually if nothing else they can create some space and get a shot off.”

Listen to Carlesimo’s pre-game conversation here.

And take a look at Durant’s game-winning shot here.

1 -- Seattle rookie Kevin Durant’s first game winner as a Sonic. Heading into the second overtime Durant had not scored since the 6:51 mark of the third quarter. But Durant had five points in the second overtime, including the clutch, 3-pointer from the top of the circle over fellow rookie Al Horford to give the Sonics a 126-123 double-overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks.

41 -- The amount of points Damien Wilkins scored in his homecoming to Atlanta. With father Gerald Wilkins watching, along with several family and friends, Wilkins put on a show, finishing 15-of-20 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from the 3-point arc. Wilkins also was 7-of-10 from the free-throw line

13 -- The number of turnovers Seattle had in 58 minutes. Not bad considering Seattle came in averaging 19.7 turnovers a contest.

39 -- The Number of points Atlanta’s Joe Johnson had. Every time the Hawks needed a bucket, the all-star guard delivered.

3:46 -- The time Bremerton native Marvin Williams fouled out in the second overtime. Williams finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. But the play was big because Williams is one of Atlanta’s better defenders, and the Hawks had to go small down the stretch with Tyronn Lue and Salim Stoudamire at the guard spots, which gave Seattle an advantage on the boards.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- After eight straight losses Durant was again smiling in the locker room afterwards, as he notched his first game winner of his pro career.
“I seen the clock and I knew I had to shoot it,” Durant said in the locker room afterwards. “I was happy, man. It was two overtimes and I knew guys were tired, but I knocked it down and we’re ready to go to the next trip.”

Listen to the entire Durant conversation here.

Overheard -- “Durant pounded his chest at the scorer’s table after that last-second dagger yelling, “What in the (bleep) did I tell y’all,” to the folks on hand at Philips Arena as the buzzer sounded. He was mobbed by his teammates.

Did you see that? -- Running a picture-perfect 3-on-1 break, Damien Wilkins hit Chris Wilcox with a bounce pass coming down the left side of the line, and Wilcox glided in for the one-handed jam, bringing some oohs from the crowd.

Final take -- At two games, Seattle has its first winning streak of the season and heads to Charlotte with confidence that they can execute at the end of games.

In particular, Carlesimo has his players in more clearly identified roles. The players know what to expect and who is going to play at certain parts of the game, and they know who is going to take the shots at the end of games.

And Seattle is being more aggressive going to the basket at the end of games, which allows them to get some easy points. Seattle was 26-of-31 from the foul line tonight.

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the game here. Wally Szczerbiak explains the final play here. And Damien Wilkins talks about performing well in front of his family and friends.

A great game. Damien Wilkins is playing out of his mind. 39 points, seven rebounds, and pretty much willing the Sonics. Joe Johnson has been impressive for Atlanta with 36 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Led by Joe Johnson, the Hawks went on a 25-12 run to reclaim the lead, 72-71. Johnson had 13 points during that time.

However, Seattle managed to grab the lead back and is ahead 84-82 after three quarters.

The Sonics are in a position to win the game on the road, which is what you want.

Even with the a day off Seattle is playing well here against Atlanta.

An unlikely lineup of Earl Watson, Damien Wilkins, Mickael Gelabale, Nick Collison and Johan Petro helped Seattle go on a 15-0 run to take control of this one, with Seattle leading 58-45 at the half.

Chris Wilcox and Kevin Durant also had highlight reel dunks, as Seattle is taking advantage of this young Atlanta team.

Collison has been a monster on the boards. He has 12 so far, along with eight points. Ten games into the season it seems like the players have finally figured out their roles and know where they need to be on the floor, both offensively and defensively.

Playing well in his hometown, Wilkins leads all scorers with 15 points. He also has six rebounds. And guard Earl Watson has his best offensive performance so far with 11 points in the first half.

Damien Wilkins is shining in his first trip back home as a starter. He has 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field in the quarter, helping the Sonics get out to as 26-23 lead.

Both Josh Smith and Acie Law are sitting out for Atlanta. But Atlanta big man Zaza Pachulia has picked up the scoring load with 10 points in the first quarter. Pachulia is only four points a game.

Seattle led by as many as seven points in the first quarter.

This place is pretty empty. About 6,000 in a place that seats over 19,000.

In case you missed it, Seattle rookie Kevin Durant and coach P.J. Carlesimo were on TNT's halftime show on Thursday.

Durant appeared on the TNT halftime show on Thursday with hosts Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. The studio is located in the CNN complex right next to Phillips Arena, where the Atlanta Hawks play. Here are a few highlights provided by TNT from Durant’s interview.

Durant said he was most excited to play against Carmelo Anthony this season

“ He’s from Maryland and I watched his games for a long time,” Durant said. “ He had 32 (points) against us, it was an easy 32…I got about 20 of that. He was amazing that night, and I’ve kind of followed his game for a long time and I try to pattern my game after his.”

The most surprising thing so far his rookie season?

“To be honest, from watching the games (at home) the games look slow. It looks like you can get to the lane whenever you want, but it’s nothing like that. It’s been fun and I’ve been learning a lot. Every game I’m looking forward to it.”

And on trying to put some weight on his 6-foot-9, 215-pound frame Durant had this to say:

“I’m eating a lot, you just can’t see it. I’m still 19. I don’t think I’ll ever be big like Charles.”

Said TNT announcer Kenny Smith: “We hope not!”

Barkley had this to say about the Sonics and coach Carlesimo.

“(P.J. Carlesimo) has to keep them playing hard and not get discouraged,” he said. “I want P.J. to be successful because he is a friend of mine. I think he’s a great guy and you want great guys to be successful. But (the SuperSonics) are not going to win. They are too young and the West (Conference) is just a beast from top to bottom. (Carlesimo) has just got to keep them playing hard every night. And those people in Seattle, and I hope (the SuperSonics) stay there, but (the fans) have to be patient.”

Check out the Durant video here.

P.J. Carlesimo also was interviewed, and you can see that video here.

Kurt Thomas is out testing his hamstring and still might play tonight, Carlesimo said. If he can go, he'll start. Robert Swift (knee) and Luke Ridnour (torn quad) will not play.

Seattle (1-8) at Atlanta (3-4)

When: 4:30 p.m., Philips Arena, Atlanta
TV: FSN Radio: 770-AM

Series: Atlanta has lost the past seven games in the series with Seattle. Its last victory, 91-81, came on Nov. 9, 2003.

Scouting the Hawks: Guard Joe Johnson leads the Hawks in scoring (21.9 points a contest) and assists (6.0 a game).
Josh Smith (16.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg) has become one of the better players in the league this season, but the 6-foot-9 forward is questionable for tonight’s game (left quad strain). Acie Law IV (sprained left ankle) also is questionable. Law and Smith did not practice on Thursday. Anthony Johnson will probably start at point guard if Law can’t go. And Sheldon Williams or rookie Al Horford will start at power forward if Smith can’t play.

Bremerton native Marvin Williams has blossomed. In his third year with Atlanta, Williams averages 17.7 points and 6.1 rebounds.

The Hawks are 3-1 at home this season and 2-0 against Western Conference opponents, defeating Phoenix and Dallas.

Atlanta coach Mike Woodson has received some criticism from the local media here. Some believe the Hawks should be better with all the draft picks they have received over the last couple years.
Woodson, in his fourth season, is 72-181 as head coach.

Scouting the Sonics: Damien Wilkins returns home tonight. Wilkins played at the University of Georgia, and his uncle, Dominique Wilkins, is vice president of basketball operations for the Hawks.
Wilkins had this to say about returning home.

“It’s always a good feeling to be back home,” he said. “This one brings a little different dimension because I have an opportunity to play. In years past I was just talking to the crowd from the bench. So it brings on a different feeling being able to be on the floor in front of the hometown fans, friends and family.”

Wilkins had to roundup 56 tickets for friends and family for tonight’s game

Sonics guard Luke Ridnour has a partial tear in his left quad and will be out up to four weeks. He still is with the team on the trip.
Centers Robert Swift (right knee tendinitis) is out, and Kurt Thomas (right hamstring strain) is doubtful for tonight’s game. That means Jeff Green will see more time at power forward tonight, and Johan Petro will be the first big guy off of the bench. Atlanta plays a smaller lineup up front, so the lack of centers available shouldn’t be a problem for Seattle.

Carlesimo still would like to see his team improve defensively. The Sonics are third-worst in points allowed by opponents (106.4) and average 19.7 turnovers a game.

“It’s still our biggest area in need of improvement,” Carlesimo said. “Having said that, turnovers are still a major problem. We’re spotting people too many possessions and too many breakaways, which makes the defense look even worse than it is. The defense is not good, nor is it as bad as it looks because of the turnovers, and also the points we’re giving up off of free throws. But both of those are part of defense, too.”

Listen to the full conversation with Carlesimo here.

And for your reading pleasure, here are a couple links. ESPN’s J.A. Adande catches up with ex-Sonic Gary Payton, who seems comfortable in retirement. And CBS Sports’ Tony Mejia offers his take on the state of the Sonics.

Next: 4 p.m. Saturday at Charlotte, Charlotte Bobcats Arena

1-8 -- Seattle stops the bleeding, after eight consecutive losses to start the year earning its first victory of the season, a 104-95 win over Miami

3 -- A three for the 3-pointer Delonte West hit to quell a charging Miami squad that had cut Seattle’s lead to 94-86 with just under four minutes left.

54 -- The number of rebounds Seattle had as a team, not bad considering they were playing against Shaquille O’Neal. Miami’s beast in the middle was in foul trouble most of the night, however. Seattle outrebounded Miami 54-32.

24 -- Seattle did have the turnover bug again. The Sonics finished with 24 of them, leading to 34 points for Miami.

1 -- Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo’s first win as a coach. He said the win meant more because of the team’s effort after stinking it up against Orlando. Kevin Durant said his coach was emotional after the game, and I've got to think it was nice to get the losing streak over with.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- The rookie was all smiles after getting his first win as a pro. Durant finished with 18 points and five rebounds in 33:30 minutes, but also turned the ball over five times.

“I know guys have won a lot of games in the NBA, but this one was very emotional for us,” Durant said. “Coming into the locker room after the game, I know Coach (P.J. Carlesimo) was very emotional. We were just excited. And hopefully it’s the start of something good.”

Listen to the entire Durant conversation here.

Overheard -- Carlesimo defending Durant when he got hammered going for a dunk at the beginning of the second quarter. It appeared Durant was knocked out of bounds and the defender didn’t get any ball, but the official didn’t call it and Carlesimo got a technical for going out on the floor to argue with the ref. In some ways it’s understandable when Durant doesn’t go to the basket because he’s not getting rewarded at times by going to the line. But he’s a rookie so he has to earn it.

Did you see that? -- The Delonte West 3-pointer from the corner to put Seattle up 11 points with 3:53 was a money shot. It’s something that Seattle hasn’t been able to do in previous games, but West coming up clutch helped seal the win.

Final take -- A good win for Seattle, which enables them to put the losing streak behind them and focus on putting together some win. It seems like Carlesimo has settled on a rotation, and guys are finding their roles and knowing where they are supposed to be on the floor. The execution offensively was much more crisp in past games, and I think it helped the Sonics get some better looks toward the end of the game.

Luke Ridnour received some bad news today. A MRI revealed a partial tear in his left quad, and he’ll be out for two to four weeks. Robert Swift also did not play tonight due to soreness in his repaired right knee, and is questionable for Friday’s game at Atlanta. Kurt Thomas hurt his right hamstring again, and might not go on Friday.

The Sonics will take tomorrow off.

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the game here.

That's what the Sonics seem to be saying with their actions in the first quarter.

Seattle took control of the game early, leading 22-12 midway through the first, and now hold a 30-25 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Dwyane Wade entered the game at the 4:52 mark of the first to a standing ovation. But he hasn't done a whole lot as he tries to get a feel for being out on the floor.

P.J. just blew up and earned his second technical of the season early in the second after Kevin Durant went strong the basket for a dunk and got hammered, but got no call.

It seemed like a pretty blatant foul from where we're sitting on press row.

P.J. was furious, and the ref closest to the action said it was his fault. I think maybe he was saying he didn't see the play.

But the non-call is pretty typical as Durant is not getting a whole lot of respect from the officials as a rookie.

Seattle (0-8) at Miami (1-6)

Tipoff: 4:30 p.m., AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami.
TV: FSN. Radio: 770-AM.

Series: Miami won both meetings last season, taking the past four overall. Seattle holds a 25-13 advantage all-time.

Scouting the Heat: As luck would have it, Dwyane Wade makes his return from offseason left knee and left shoulder surgeries tonight against Seattle.

Miami Heat coach Pat Riley announced during his pregame talk that Wade would play but not start in his first appearance of the season.

“He has been as diligent and as careful as I think anybody can be with your primary asset,” Riley said. “This isn’t something that we haven’t thought long and hard about. We’ve been monitoring his workouts and there are a number of therapists that have been working with him. But there’s got to be a time. And let’s go out there and see how it goes.”.

NBA champions just two years ago, the Heat have pretty much been a train wreck this season. Miami only averages 83.3 points a game, fewest in the NBA. Udonis Haslem (14.1 points, 10.6 rebounds) has assumed a leadership role with Wade out. Riley appointed Haslem a team captain. Shaquille O’Neal leads Miami in scoring (15.3 points per game).

Things have gotten so bad for the Heat that Riley said he might take the floor after the team’s 91-76 loss to Charlotte.
Riley had this to say when asked what he could do to generate some offense.

"Me? Play. I guarantee you I should suit up. I'd play better than some of them right now," Riley said Tuesday night. "I guarantee it. I swear to God. With an old hip and 62 years old and I can't see, I'll play better than some of my guys tonight. Come on, they were pretty bad."

Added a despondent Shaquille O’Neal.

"It was very, very embarrassing," O'Neal said.

Scouting the Sonics: Robert Swift will sit out his second straight game. He is still dealing with soreness in his repaired right knee. And Luke Ridnour also will not go. Ridnour has pain in his left quad. He had an MRI today, but the results have not been released yet.

Earl Watson will start at point guard in place of Ridnour. Carlesimo said he prefers to go with Watson over Delonte West because Watson pushes the ball more. And he likes bringing West off of the bench with Wally Szczerbiak, Jeff Green, and the rest of the second unit.

“We have to get Delonte pushing it a little more when he’s playing at the point guard position,” Carlesimo said. “I do like the ability to kind of bring him in where we want to bring him in. From the beginning I’ve like him and Wally and Kurt kind of coming off the bench. If we don’t get the kind of start we want I feel really good about putting those guys in and helping to solidify things. And Jeff’s kind of in the same position right now.”

Kurt Thomas will start tonight at center instead of Nick Collison because of his experience guarding Shaq.

So the starting lineup for Seattle tonight is Watson (PG), Kevin Durant (SG), Damien Wilkins (SF), Chris Wilcox (PF) and Thomas (C).

I talked some with Nick Collison during pregame because I wanted to get his thoughts on last night’s game, particularly because he playing against Rashard Lewis most of the time.

“All year we’ve struggled,” Collison said. “But we haven’t played as bad as we did last night. So I think it’s good to get back out there and hopefully play like we’re capable of and try to get a win.

“It’s no less important than last night’s game, but it’s the most important because it’s the next game. And that’s how we’ve got to look at all of them.

Collison, who finished with a team-high 15 points and six rebounds, said he’s looking to shoot the ball more on the perimeter when he has an open jumper.

“I’m trying to, when I’m open, realize it before I catch the ball and let it fly,” Collison said. “I think that’s a big thing for me is anticipating when my shots are going to come.”

Listen to the Collison conversation here.
.
Next: Friday at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m., Philips Arena.

The Oklahoman columnist John Rohde says Seattle’s franchise-record 0-8 start may help bring the Sonics to Oklahoma City sooner, with fans losing interest in the winless team.

22 -- The number of points Rashard Lewis had against his former team. Lewis also had six rebounds, and was clearly happy Orlando beat the Sonics. That means he has bragging rights until Orlando returns to Seattle later this month on Nov. 28.

6 -- The number of points Seattle scored after taking an 8-0 lead early in the first quarter. Seattle would threaten again, pulling within seven points, 39-32 with 3:12 left in the half. But the ball game was pretty much over after the first quarter.

34.4 -- The percentage Seattle shot for the game form the field (33-of-96. Seattle continued to settle for jump shots instead of getting to the rack, and it hurt them.

26 -- Seattle did force 26 Orlando turnovers, turning them into 26 points on offense.

10 -- The number of 3-pointers Orlando made, as Seattle failed to bother the Magic perimeter scorers. Orlando’s Dwight Howard also had something to do with that, as Seattle had to double him inside. Howard finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, his 13th straight double-double dating back to last season.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- Kevin Durant struggled from the floor, scoring 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field, and finishing with only one rebound. It was probably Durant’s worst performance of the season, and a big reason why Seattle also struggled.

Overheard -- The Orlando crowd laughed when Jeff Green airballed a shot from 20 feet. It was a bad moment in an otherwise solid game for the rookie, who finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Did you see that? -- Rashard Lewis hit a running jump shot at the buzzer to close out the scoring in the first quarter. It was two of 12 points he scored in the first, setting the tone for the Magic.

Final take -- It will be a long road trip if Seattle does not respond with some energy Wednesday against Miami. The Heat probably will be without its best player in Dwyane Wade,and only have one win. Miami’s also coming off a blow-out loss to at Charlotte tonight, so it should be a winnable game for Seattle.

Luke Ridnour suffered left quad strain in the first half and is questionable for Wednesdays’ game at Miami.

Listen to Carlesimo’s breakdown of the game here. And Damien Wilkins talks about the mistakes Seattle made.
Earl Watson said the Sonics just need to get a win.

Luke Ridnour has a left quad strain, the same injury he sustained a couple days ago, and will not return in the second half. Ridnour finished 1-of-5 from the field, with two points, a rebound and three assists.

Seattle down 49-36 at the half. They managed to work the lead down to 39-32 with just over three minutes left, but the Magic went on another spurt to end the half.

Jeff Green is playing well again. He had 12 points in the second quarter.

Rashard Lewis is showing what Sonics brass missed by letting him go to Orlando. He's pretty much scored every way imaginable -- long 3-pointers and runners inside. Lewis has 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

Seattle took an 8-0 lead early, but was outscored 28-6 the rest of the first quarter and now trails 28-14 at the end of the first.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo is fuming on the sidelines. Can't be to long before he gets Tech'd if Seattle keeps playing like this.

Also, it looked like Luke Ridnour may have hurt his nose again driving to the basket. Earl Watson subbed in for him with 1:44 left in the first.

Seattle (0-7) at Orlando (5-2)

When: 4 p.m., Amway Arena, Orlando, Fla.

TV: FSN. Radio: 770-AM.

Series: The Sonics lost both games to Orlando last season, 88-87 in Orlando, 94-84 in Seattle. However, the Sonics lead the overall series, 22-14.

Scouting the Magic: The top three scorers for the Magic are Dwight Howard (21.3 ppg.), Rashard Lewis (20.6 ppg) and Hedo Turkoglu (19.1), who have combined to average 61.3 points per game. .... Big man Tony Battie is likely out for the season with a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder. He underwent surgery on Oct. 24. ... Guard J.J. Redick (back spasms) is questionable for tonight’s game. ... Patrick Ewing, who played for the Sonics in 2000-01, is an assistant coach for Orlando. ... Howard has recorded 12 double-doubles dating back to last season.

Orlando head coach Stan Van Gundy said ex-Sonic Rashard Lewis has done a nice job making the transition to the Magic, and that they had to tell him early on to be more assertive offensively.

“He was trying to fit in and be one of the guys,” Van Gundy said. “And we said it in front of the whole team, we didn’t sign you to come in and be just one of the guys.

“And I said the guys who are you’re teammates don’t want you to be just one of the guys either. I mean, you’re here to score points and put the ball in the basket, plus do a lot of other things.

“But he’s been great. I think he understands the responsibility of being a guy that you’re going to go to and a guy that makes that kind of money, in terms of how hard he comes in and works everyday, and in terms of his attitude.”

As far as the game, Van Gundy said the keys for Orlando will be controlling Seattle’s fast-break opportunities, limiting Kevin Durant and Chris Wilcox’s touches and keeping the Sonics off of the boards.

Seattle leads the league in fastbreak points. The Sonics are the fifth-best rebounding team in the league, and are tied for fifth in steals per game.
Listen to the conversation with Van Gundy here.


Scouting the Sonics: Robert Swift will sit out today with soreness in his repaired right knee. Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said he is hopeful Swift can go on Wednesday. Swift appeared to be laboring against the Pistons on Sunday, and didn’t play in the second half. With Swift out, Nick Collison probably will start at center.
That leaves a the starting lineup for Seattle tonight of Luke Ridnour (PG), Kevin Durant (SG), Damien Wilkins (SF), Chris Wilcox (PF) and Collison (C.

Carlesimo said he was pleased with the way Ridnour played on his first start, except for the first quarter where Detroit ran out to a 35-20 lead. Carlesimo said the whole starting five played listless in the first quarter.

Ridnour finished with four points, seven assists and two turnovers in 31 minutes.

“I was happy particularly with the way he ran the break, and the way he ran pick-and-rolls,” Carlesimo said. “He didn’t shoot it as well as Luke normally shoots it.”

Listen to the Carlesimo conversation here.

Kevin Durant leads all rookies in scoring at 21.7 points per game. Teammate Jeff Green is fourth among rookies in scoring at 10.4 points a contest. Durant also is tops in minutes played (34.7) and fourth in rebounds (5.4) per game.

“I think the toughest think is just playing against the best defenders in the world each and every night,” Durant said about his first seven games in the league. “So you have to use your counter moves and do things like that to try to get them off of you. I’m still learning how to do that.”

Listen to the Durant conversation here.

Next: Wednesday at Miami, 4:30 p.m., American Airlines Arena.

0-7 -- This year’s team now holds the franchise record for losses at the beginning of the season, eclipsing the 0-6 mark by the 1969-70.

32 -- The number of points for Richard Hamilton, as Seattle really had no answer for the smooth-shooting swingman defensively.

6 -- The number of players Seattle had in double figures, led by Kevin Durant’s 19 points.

19:27 -- The amount of time center Kurt Thomas played in his first regular season action. Thomas will make a major impact at the end of games if he can continue to stay healthy.

0 -- The number of minutes Earl Watson played, as he moves to the bench and Luke Ridnour will start now for the time being.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- Kevin Durant finished 19 points, six rebounds and two assists on 7-of-20 shooting from the field. He’s playing better at the end of games and figuring some things out. It was nice to see him get inside a bit more tonight.

Overheard -- Wally Szczerbiak complained about a foul call in the second quarter, saying, “I didn’t touch him,” to the official. Detroit bench player and soon-to-be assistant coach Lindsey Hunter shot back, “Yeah, you did touch him Wally.”

Did you see that? -- Jeff Green had a nice block on ex-Sonic Flip Murray’s dunk attempt, starting a fastbreak the other way with Szczerbiak hitting a 15-footer.

E-Dub’s take -- A weird game. It really looked like Seattle would get blown out of this one. But the Sonics showed some resiliency by battling back in the second half. Kurt Thomas really showed that he can make a difference for Seattle in close games, and Jeff Green had another solid night, finishing with 17 points and eight rebounds.

But with Seattle headed on a five-game road trip with stops in Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte and Memphis, the Sonics will be hard-pressed to get their first win on the road.

Listen to Carlesimo’s breakdown of the game here. And Kurt Thomas talks about getting his first regular-season run.

After looking out of it most the game Seattle finally put a run together and only down four points, 86-82, with 8:56 left.

Kurt Thomas, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak have provided a nice lift off the bench, helping Seattle get back into it. Detroit led by as many as 18 points in the third, but were not able to close it out and now the Pistons could be in trouble.

Looks like were headed for another exciting fourth-quarter finish.

Robert Swift is back on the injured list. Swift did not return to the game in the third quarter because of tendinitis in his repaired right knee.

Swift appeared to be laboring in the first half, finishing 0-of-4 from the field with two rebounds and two fouls in 12 minutes.

This is how it's going to be with Swift in the foreseeable future until his knee fully heals. He'll have good days and bad days, but I don't think the Sonics expect Swift to be a major contributor for the first half of the season.

Seattle's down 72-59. Every time Seattle's on the verge of cutting the lead to single digits, Detroit scores a basket to quell a potential spurt.

Jeff Green followed his 19-point outing against Utah with another solid game. He leads Seattle with 15 points.

Seattle was hit by a mac truck called the Detroit Pistons in the first quarter.

Detroit shot 14-of-22 (63.6) percent in the first quarter, cruising to a 35-20 lead.

Richard Hamilton leads the Pistons with 10 points.

The lone bright spot was an athletic block by Jeff Green on ex-Sonic Flip Murray, starting a break that led to a Wally Szczerbiak 15-footer on the other end.

Luke Ridnour is 0-of-1 with no other stats in seven minutes in his first start.

Detroit (4-1) at Seattle (0-6), 6 p.m.
TV: FSN
RADIO: 770-AM
Series: The Sonics lost both games to Detroit last year, 97-93 at Detroit and 101-97 at home. Seattle is 55-59 overall against the Pistons.
Scouting the Pistons: The Pistons are a veteran team coming off a 103-79 win against the Los Angeles Clippers at home Friday. Detroit has a balanced offensive attack, with Chauncey Billups (19.2 ppg.), Richard Hamilton (16.3), Rasheed Wallace (15.4) and Tayshaun Prince (14.4) all capable of taking over a game. Detroit leads the NBA in points allowed at 87.8 a contest. ... Ex-Sonic Flip Murray is one of the first players to come off the bench for Detroit. .... Eastern Washington and Kentwood High product Rodney Stuckey, now with the Pistons, is on the injured list with a broken bone in his left hand that he injured Oct. 25. Stuckey will be out six weeks. ... The game against the Sonics is the first on Detroit’s five-game road trip.

Scouting the Sonics: Luke Ridnour will get his first start of the season tonight. Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo had said that Ridnour will get more time when he got rid of the mask, as part of his early season evaluation of players at the point guard spot. Delonte West will be the first player off of the bench, and Earl Watson will play a limited role, as Ridnour did the first six games.
Robert Swift will continue starting, as Carlesimo likes getting Robert in the game early when his knee is looses. If Swift can’t go, Nick Collison will start at center.
That means the starting lineup for Seattle tonight will be Luke Ridnour (PG), Kevin Durant (SG), Damien Wilkins (SF), Chris Wilcox (PF) and Swift (C).

Watson started the first six games, averaging 27.5 minutes, seven points, 2.5 turnovers and 7.7 assists a contest.
Watson, who is currently eighth in the league in assists, had this to say about the demotion.
“What matters is what’s best for the team,” Watson said about going back to the bench. “The coach is going to do what he thinks is best for the team, along with the coaching staff and management. Other than that, I’m not going to talk about the details about where I’m at now personally as player.
“I’m not going to talk about myself personally, I’m just going to talk about the team.
“(I’m going to ) just slay the whole situation. Don’t let it become a beast or a distraction for anybody.”

Carlesimo said Kurt Thomas also will see his first action of the season tonight. Thomas has been nursing a mild right hamstring strain for over a week, but finally is ready to go.

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the changes here.

0-6 -- Seattle ties the record for franchise losses at the beginning of the season, joining the 1969-70 team in the franchise record book.

9 -- The number of assists Utah had in the fourth quarter, on 11 field goals. It really shows how well the Jazz executed in the half-court set at the end of the game.

12 -- The number of points Carlos Boozer had in the fourth quarter. The big guy finished with 27 points and 15 rebounds for Utah, but really took control in the fourth.

66 -- The number of points in the paint for Seattle. Another solid effort offensively by Seattle’s big men, outscoring the Jazz by eight points inside

19 -- The number of points Jeff Green scored, in his best outing of the season.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- Kevin Durant finished 20 points, five rebounds and three steals, but he had to work for everything he got as Andrei Kirilenko played him tough. Durant had a chance to tie the game at the end, but Kirilenko deflected the shot and it never hit the rim.

Overheard -- Utah’s Deron Williams argued with the refs after Delonte West twice blocked his shot driving to the lane. I thought both blocks looked pretty clean. Williams finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, but Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said both West and Earl Watson did a good job defending him.

Did you see that? -- Damien Wilkins had a nice dunk over Kirilenko in the first quarter, looking like his famous uncle Dominique Wilkins.

Final take -- A lot of good things for Seattle, but ultimately no win to show of it. The way the momentum of the game was going, it seemed like it might be Seattle’s night. Even the crowd, some 15,980 strong, got into the game to create some energy in the building. But again, this team is inexperienced at the end of games, and more experienced teams like Utah, Phoenix and the Los Angeles Clippers are more adept at closing out the deal.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Sonics, with Detroit coming to town on Sunday, followed by a five-game road trip that starts in Orlando on Tuesday.

Listen to Carlesimo’s breakdown of the game here. And Delonte West talks about keeping blossoming star Kevin Durant’s spirits up.

The words is apparently out on Kevin Durant around the league on how to defend him -- beat him up. Andrei Kirilenko has played the rookie physical, with Durant ending up on his back several times during the game.

Durant looked tired in the first half, but seemed to come back in the second with a renewed energy. Durant has 13 points and three rebounds through three quarters.

Seattle's other rookie, Jeff Green, has been solid all game, going to the basket strong and rebounding well inside. Green also has 13 points and three rebounds. He needs to work on his free throws. Green is only 5-of-9 from the line.

Another close game in the fourth. Can they finish?

Chris Wilcox has been impressive inside for Seattle, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the first half.

As a team Seattle has done a nice job of executing in the half-court set, as shown by the Sonics 11 assists on 18 field goals.

Down 52-46 at the half, if Seattle can turn this into an up-tempo game they have a better chance of getting their first win.

Down 20-11, Seattle scrambles back and is only down 28-25 at the break.

Highlights in the first include a nice, one-handed jam by Damien Wilkins over Andrei Kirilenko. Earl Watson played well in the first quarter, finishing with six points and five assists.

He also showed some attitude. After a foul called on Seattle's end of the court, Carlos Boozer was attempting a shot while everybody got set up for the free throw, and Watson came behind and blocked him, leaving Boozer with an angry look on his face.

Sonics-Jazz pregame

Utah (3-2) at Seattle (0-5), 7:30 p.m.
TV: FSN
RADIO: 770-AM
Series: The two teams split the series at two games apiece last season. It’s the first meeting between the two teams this season. Utah owns the overall series at 72-69.

Scouting the Jazz: Seattle will have to figure out a way to stop Utah’s two-headed monster of Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams. Boozer has notched a double-double in each of the first five games so far for the Jazz, and is averaging 24 points and 13.2 rebounds a contest. Williams, in only his second season, has developed into one of the best point guards in the league. Williams has been a workhorse for Utah, averaging 38.2 minutes, 22.6 points and 9.8 assists a contest. Expected starters for Utah are Williams (PG), Ronnie Brewer (SG), Andrei Kirileko (SF), Boozer (PF) and Mehmet Okur (C).

Scouting the Sonics: Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo postponed his planned shuffling of the starting line-up for another game. Carlesimo said he wanted a practice to take a look at the new lineup before putting them out on the floor. And he also wants Luke Ridnour to get rid of the mask that protects his healing broken nose, which should be any day now, and to allow for Kurt Thomas to come back from a right hamstring strain.
Carlesimo also said he liked the match-up with Utah and the starters he’s played in the last two games.
That means the starting lineup for Seattle tonight will be Earl Watson (PG), Kevin Durant (SG), Damien Wilkins (SF), Chris Wilcox (PF) and Robert Swift (C).

Ridnour seemed a possibility to replace Earl Watson at point guard. Watson has struggled shooting from the floor, going 11-of-36 from the field (30.6 %) in the first five games. Watson averaged seven assists a contest during that span, and 2.6 turnovers a game.

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the changes here.

Carlesimo also said he isn’t sure if he will send center Mouhamed Sene down to the developmental league, which starts training camp next week. Because of the uncertainty with Swift and Thomas, Carlesimo wants to keep Sene around. Mickael Gelabale also is a possibility to see time in the developmental league because of the backup at the wing position. The other two players eligible for the developmental league – Kevin Durant and Jeff Green – will not be headed to Idaho for obvious reasons.

“This is a free country, if guys want to go to Idaho they can go to Idaho,” Carlesimo quiped. “But in terms of going to down to play with whatever the name of the team is – the Stampede – I don’t think he’s going. He may go to Wyoming for the stampede, but I don’t think he’s going to Idaho to play for the Stampede.”

Seattle will have to figure out how to contain Utah offensively if they want to avoid making franchise history tonight. A loss against the Jazz and Seattle ties the franchise record for consecutive losses to begin the season at 0-6, joining the 1969-1970 team in the record books. Utah is the top scoring team in the league right now at 111.4 points per game, while the Sonics give up the second-most points in the league defensively at 110 points per contest.

This is an Associated Press story picked up from Phoenix. I'll have some reaction comments from local government folks later.

PHOENIX (AP) — League commissioner David Stern warned Thursday that if the SuperSonics leave Seattle he sees no way the NBA would ever return to the city.
“I’d love to find a way to keep the team there,” he said, “because if the team moves, there’s not going to be another team there, not in any conceivable future plan that I could envision, and that would be too bad.”
At a news conference following his announcement that the 2009 All-Star game would be held in Phoenix, Stern criticized the city of Seattle and the Washington Legislature for its handling of the issue of funding a replacement for Key Arena.
Stern repeated earlier criticism of Seattle’s mayor and City Council for promoting a measure, overwhelmingly passed by voters, that requires any funds to help build an arena earn money at the same rate as a treasury bill.
That measure simply means there is no way city money would ever be used on an arena project, Stern said.
He also lamented that the Legislature refused to even consider continuing a tax that helped pay for Seattle’s baseball and football stadiums.
“To have the speaker of the house say well, they just spend too much money on salaries anyway, so we need it for other things,” Stern said, casts aspersions on the whole league’s operations. “We get the message. Hopefully, maybe cooler heads will prevail.”
He was referring to a remark by House Speaker Frank Chopp last February when funding for a new arena in the Seattle suburb of Renton was proposed.
“They ought to get their own financial house in order when their payroll is over $50 million for, what is it, 10 players? I think that’s a little ridiculous,” Chopp said at the time. “They need to get their own financial house in order and if they did, they wouldn’t have to ask for public help.”
Stern’s comments were much tougher than the ones he made last June, when he said he believed the issue was “just going to work itself out.”
SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett told the NBA last Friday that he plans to move the team to Oklahoma City. When that move would occur depends on outcome of litigation with the city over the franchise’s KeyArena lease. The lease calls for the team to play in Seattle through the 2009-10 season, but Bennett wants out sooner.
As the issue becomes more and more contentious, Stern said he hopes “that a white knight that hasn’t existed before, somebody who has a building plan of how to keep the team there, will step forward.”
The commissioner’s comments came at the end of a news conference where he spent most of his time rehashing the one-game suspension of Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for leaving the bench after San Antonio’s Robert Horry slammed teammate Steve Nash into the scorer’s table in last season’s conference semifinals.
NBA rules require a one-game suspension for any player who leaves the bench in such incidents.
This was the first time Stern had made a public appearance in Phoenix since that decision. He said the rule is clear and was established to prevent incidents that could result in serious injury. Making the rule subjective, depending on why the players were leaving the bench, “is a problem,” Stern said.
“The one that I lived through was that I was assistant to (then-commissioner) Larry O’Brien when Rudy Tomjanovich almost got killed coming off the bench as a peacemaker,” he said.
“That in some measure deeply affected his life as well as Kermit Washington’s,” Stern said. “If we had had that rule and enforced it that never would have happened.”
Tomjanovich, a player with the Houston Rockets at the time, was critically injured when he rushed the court during a 1977 game and ran directly into a punch thrown by Washington, then of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Stern said that when he recently brought up the idea of changing the rule, the ex-players on the NBA competition committee “thought I was out of my mind.”
“That’s a serious issue of large men coming off the bench,” Stern said the players told him. “It’s a scary place. When you’re out there, you just don’t know. When people come at you, you’re liable to do just about anything.”

21 -- The number of offensive rebounds Memphis had

32 -- The number of second-chance points Memphis scored off the rebounds

18 -- Kevin Durant's shooting percentage from the field. He went 3-for-17, but still finished with 17 points. Durant was 10-for-10 from the free throw line, including 8-of-8 in the fourth quarter.

52 -- The number of points in the paint for Seattle

1969 -- The last time Seattle lost six straight to open the season. The Sonics are a game away from matching that mark.

Not much to add here if you've already seen the game, or saw the first four games of the year.

As in past games, Seattle had a 29-16 disparity in fouls, and Memphis outscored Seattle 25-17 from the free-throw line.

Again, Seattle seems out of position defensively at times, leading to the inordinate amount of fouls. And most other teams continue to go more aggressively to the basket than Seattle

Seattle just can't seem to finish games. A lot of it has to do with the inexperience and lack of time guys have spent playing with each other, but you can only use that as an excuse for so long.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo can take solace in the fact that his team still is playing hard. And there are a lot of teams still without wins. They include Chicago, Washington, Miami and Golden State -- all playoff teams a year ago.

Carlesimo will give the guys a day off on Thursday. But he said to expect some changes in the starting lineup come Friday. Will we see the debut of Luke Ridnour in the starting lineup at point guard? How about Jeff Green at small forward? Will Mickael Gelabale get some run? We'll see on Friday.

Here's the post-game interview with Carlesimo.

And listen to Nick Collison and Kevin Durant talk about the game.

The Sonics led by as many as 14 in the third quarter, but Memphis worked back into and now lead 87-81 at the end of the third quarter.

Seattle turned the ball over seven times in the third quarter. The Sonics were outscored 38-24 in the third.

Maybe Seattle experienced the letdown a quarter early and will come back for a strong fourth.

Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox start the fourth for Seattle.

The Sonics are on a 4-0 run early, and only trail 87-85 early in the fourth.

Seattle finished the quarter on a 12-4 run to grab a 57-49 lead at halftime.

The Sonics are moving the ball much better offensively, with point guard Earl Watson having his best game so far this season. Watson has six points and four assists, but more than his stats he's done a nice job of spreading the floor, attacking the basket when he needs to and getting the ball to places where his teammates can score.

After a poor shooting night against Sacramento Damien Wilkins is back shooting the ball well. He leads the Sonics with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field.

Seattle has kept the turnovers down somewhat (only 7), and the Sonics have 32 points in the paint compared to the Grizzlies' 16. Kevin Durant finished with nine points and and two rebounds, shooting 3-of-9 from the field.

A good half, let's see if Seattle can keep it up.

It's pretty empty here. The Key is probably about half full, but there looks to be a few late arrivals trickling in.

A decent effort so far by Seattle. Only three turnovers by Seattle, and 22 points in the paint as the Sonics look to get the ball inside.

Seattle is down 31-30 early in the second. Chris Wilcox leads Seattle with six points. Robert Swift also has been effective inside, totaling four points and four rebounds in seen minutes.

Memphis (0-2) at Seattle (0-4)
7 p.m
TV: FSN
Radio: 770-AM

A few notes and some audio and then you're on your way to watching the game.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said he'll go with the same starting five tonight. That means Robert Swift will start his second straight game.

Kurt Thomas received an MRI today, which basically confirmed that he has a mild right hamstring strain. Thomas is listed as day-to-day and will not play tonight. Mouhamed Sene also is inactive tonight.

Carlesimo addressed the foul disparity situation during his pre-game talk. Seattle is taking nine less free throws a game than its opponent, and being whistled for five more fouls a contest.

Carlesimo said it has nothing to do with the officials, and everything to do with the team not going aggressively to the basket inside.

"Usually two of the best ways you’re going to get to the free throw line is establishing an inside game or taking the ball to the rim, and we haven’t been very good at either of those," Carlesimo said. "I don’t think it has anything to do with the officiating.

"In general late in the game you don’t want to be dependent on jump shots. It’s always been that way around the league. The jump-shooting teams don’t shoot a lot of free throws. That’s just the way it is. And you have to play around that if you’re going to be a jump-shooting team. We don’t want to be a jump-shooting team. But saying you want an effective post-up game and you want people that can really attack the rim, and getting effective at it are two different things."

Listen to the full conversation with Carlesimo here.

Damien Wilkins echoed Carlesimo's sentiments.

"A lot of times we are not being aggressive enough," Wilkins said. "I think the more aggressive you are, the officials will give you the benefit of the doubt. And that’s what has been happening against us. Teams have been pretty aggressive against us, and they’ve been getting the calls.

"Instead of coming down and shooting jump shots late in the game, being such a jump-shooting team, we’ve got to go to the basket more, and maybe we’ll get the calls."

Listen to the full conversations with Wilkins here.

Also, Sonics Chairman Clay Bennett will be inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame on Thursday. And his presenter is a name you'll recognize -- NBA Commissioner David Stern. Read more about the induction here.

24 -- Number of turnovers in a game for Seattle

34 -- Sacramento points off Seattle turnovers

32 -- Points scored by Wally Szczerbiak

6 -- Points scored by Szczerbiak in the fourth quarter

27 -- fastbreak points by Seattle

20 -- Points Seattle led by in the first half.

This was pretty much a game Seattle had in the bag, but couldn't hang onto. Again, Seattle struggled to close it out. With Kevin Durant, Damien Wilkins and Chris Wilcox all missing shot late that would have kept Seattle in it.

There were good things that happened. Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo liked his team's execution late in the game in the half-court set.

And Seattle was more aggressive on both the offensive and defensive ends.

But it's all about getting W's, and Seattle did not do that tonight.

I thought it was curious that Wally Szczerbiak didn't get more opportunities to shoot late in the game, particularly with the way he was shooting it.

Szczerbiak only had four shots in the fourth quarter.

Here's what he had to say.

“I’m not a bashful guy,” Szczerbiak said about getting only four shots in the fourth quarter. “I’ll start running toward the ball if I feel like I want it. But I got looked off a couple times. We got good shots down the stretch. It’s just one of those things. Shots didn’t fall.
“I think we executed our offense well, which is a start. We had a few too many turnovers down the stretch, which gave them easy buckets. And they made some plays. So we just have to back to the drawing board.
“But I did have a hot hand going, so it would have been nice (to get some touches).”

Listen to more Szczerbiak here.

Carlesimo said they tried to get it to Szczerbiak, but had trouble setting up plays for him because Szczerbiak was playing power forward, which he doesn't do that much.

Listen to the Conversation with Carlesimo here.

Seattle also not getting to the foul line. Seattle's opponents are taking a little over 10 more free throws a game than the Sonics.

Bottom line, until Seattle's stops turning the ball over 20 times a game and figures out a way to execute and get to the line down the stretch, it's going to be a long season.

Seattle has turned the ball over 24 times and amazingly still leads 78-72 at the end of the third.

Sacramento fought back and took a 72-69 lead at one point, but Seattle retook the lead before the end of the quarter.

Seattle is shooting the ball well (53.4 percent), and if they can limit their turnovers they could pick up their first win. That's a big if however.

Wally Szczerbiak pretty much put the Sonics on his back and carried them during the second quarter.

He scored 18 points in the second quarter -- 10 straight at one point -- hitting jumpers from all spots on the floor.

Seattle led by as many as 20 points, but after three straight turnovers late in the first half Seattle let the Kings back into it.

P.J. Carlesimo called a timeout with 40 seconds left and exploded on the team, dressing them down because of the turnovers.

Seattle's finished the half ahead 61-48, but should be up by more.

The Sonics actually have an advantage in experience against the Kings, with Ron Artest and Mike Bibby out.

But Seattle still turned the ball over 14 times in the first half, which resulted in 18 points for Sacramento.

However, Seattle is shooting 63.2 percent from the field, including 6-of-9 from the 3-point arc.

A pretty scrappy first quarter for both teams, as the Kings and the Sonics look like two teams who do not have a win this year, and want desperately to get one tonight.

Sacrament leads 26-25 behind 10 points from Kevin Martin. Execution still poor. Five turnover already, against a bad team. Martin is a nice player. He’s got a funky jumper. He kind flings it up there, but it goes in with regularity.

But I think Kevin Durant is the best player on the court right now, and hopefully he realizes it. Durant has seven points, leading the Sonics in scoring.

Luke Ridnour came in midway through the first quarter and has played solid. Ridnour has four points, on two mid-range jumpers, and an assist.

Kevin Calabro wore shades for his opening game with Marques Johnson. One of the referees came over and said he thought he was in L.A. and Calabro was Jack Nicholson.

A few things before tipoff.

Robert Swift will get his first start of the year. Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said he wants to get Swift in the game early while he's still loose.

Nick Collison will still see about the same minutes tonight, and will probably sub in early in the first quarter.

Delonte West also will get more run at the shooting guard spot tonight, which means Luke Ridnour will backup Earl Watson at point guard.

I think Carlesimo likes West at the shooting guard more, particularly if he shooting guard matchup isn't as physical.

Kurt Thomas will have an MRI on his strained right hamstring and is not available tonight.

Listen to the full conversation with Carlesimo here.

Sacramento's Spencer Hawes, a University of Washington product, is close to being able to get back on the floor. The No. 10 overall pick, Hawes had minor knee surgery in October and should practice for Sacramento tomorrow.

We cruise around the Northwest Division this morning, where Denver sits atop the standings with a 2-1 record. For a closer look at the Northwest Division, click here.

But first some updates on the Sonics opponent tonight, Sacramento

Sacramento (0-3): Check out this preview of tonight’s game against Sacramento from the Sacramento Bee And here’s my story from today on Seattle’s turnover woes.

Also from The Bee, another story on guard Mike Bibby, who has torn ligaments in his thumb and will have to sit the first 10 weeks of the season. Seattle Prep High and University of Washington product Spencer Hawes, who had arthroscopic knee surgery in October, says he’s ready to play.

Portland (0-3): Looks like Steve Blake has usurped Jarrett Jack as the starting point guard for the Blazers. And Channing Frye might also find his way into the starting lineup as coach Nate McMillan makes some changes after his team’s poor start.

Denver (2-1): The Nuggets return to the scene of the crime tonight at Madison Square Garden, taking on the Knicks for the first time since the Dec. 16 brawl between the two teams.

Utah (2-2): An assessment of the Jazz after the team’s .500 start.

Minnesota (0-2): Two old rivals square off in the T-Wolves’ Al Jefferson and Orlando’s Dwight Howard as Minnesota hosts Orlando tonight. Minnesota laments it’s free-throw disparity in a loss against the Knicks.

To close it out we take a trip down memory lane. It’s the 1999 McDonalds All-American Slam Dunk Contest, which includes two Sonics in Nick Collison and Damien Wilkins facing off. Who wins? Take a look.

The team practiced this afternoon at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles before jumping a plane to Sacramento.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo seemed to be doing more teaching in practice today -- at least in the 20 to 30 minutes we got to watch.

Carlesimo was emphasizing some of the things the coaching staff worked on in training camp -- getting back on defense, taking care of the ball, executing offensively and running the floor.

Seattle has wanted to be an up-tempo team, but the Sonics only had two fast-break points against the Clippers.

Carlesimo said turnovers continue to be an issue. Seattle is averaging 20 turnovers a game, and giving up an average of 21 points a contest off of the giveaways.

“Anything between 10 or 13 or 14 turnovers you basically say, ‘We’ve got a chance,'" Carlesimo said. “When you start talking about getting above 14 – much less 20 – that’s a major problem just in terms of what it does to your offense.
“But we compound it. It’s possible to turn the ball over 20 times and give up 12 or 14 points off the turnovers. That ain’t great but that’s not bad. We’re giving up double that. We take 20 possessions and basically throw them in the garbage can where we don’t’ get a shot, and then on top of that we’re giving them 25 points off the turnovers.”

Listen to the full conversation with Carlesimo here.

Robert Swift could make his first start of the season. He practiced the entire session, a day after getting his first regular season action against the Clippers on Sunday.

The Sonics practice at Loyola Marymount also marked a return for Paul Westhead, who coached there from 1985 to 1990. Westhead said he didn't think much of it until he entered the gym and saw the sign Hank's Place on the wall -- put there in honor of Hank Gathers, who passed away during a West Coast Conference tournament game in 1990.

Gathers, who had a heart condition, was Westhead's best player. The Lions later advanced to the NCAA tournament and made it to the Elite Elite. Bo Kimble, a good friend of Gathers, shot his first foul shot left handed each game to honor Gathers, who was left-handed.

“It’s a little bit like sacred ground,” Westhead said. “I didn’t contemplate a lot of what I would feel. ... It kind of hit me when I walked in.”

Sonics by the numbers

114 – amount of points Seattle is giving up per game, ranked 29th in the league.

20 – The number of turnovers Seattle is giving up per game.

34 – The total amount of points Seattle has been outscored in the fourth quarter so far this season

23 – The amount of points Kevin Durant is averaging a game

0 – Number of wins Seattle has this season

Seattle is showing signs of frustration after losing its third straight game in basically the same fashion as the first two, a 115-101 setback to the Lost Angeles Clippers. Check out the box score here.

Seattle continues to play well for three quarters, but in the fourth they hit a wall mentally and physically while the team's opponents hits another gear and runs away with the game.

“It’s high," said Nick Collison, who was held scoreless but pulled down 10 rebounds, about the frustration in the locker room. "I think anytime you lose three in a row it’s tough. But we’ve all played in the league and realize it’s a long season, so nobody’s going crazy or anything. But it’s definitely frustrating, especially when you’ve been in all three games.”

Listen to Collison talk about the game here.

The fourth-quarter swoons should be expected. With game closers Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen gone, the Sonics have no one with experience in closing games to ride in the fourth. Kevin Durant will be that guy in the future, but it’s too much to ask him to do that right now.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo probably looked the most dejected I have seen him since taking over the team. He seems pretty anxious to get his first win out of the way, and who could blame him? He doesn’t want this thing to ride out too much longer.

"We need to be more aggressive and we need to develop a mentality of what it takes to win," Carlesimo said. "And the first thing it takes is to be aggressive and to believe. And right now we have to do a better job convincing our guys that we are in position to win and we can win, and there’s something we can do about it."

Listen to the rest of the Carlesimo conversation here.

The Sonics are halfway to their worst start ever, a 0-6 beginning by the Sonics in the 1969-70 season. In three years as a coach in Golden State, Carlesimo opened up 0-9, 0-5 and 0-4.

Rookie Kevin Durant played well, finishing with a team-high 24 points, along with eight rebounds and five assists. Durant said he’s never lost three straight in his basketball playing career, and only lost two straight for the first time last season playing at Texas.

Listen to the rest of the Durant conversation here.

Seattle will see if they can get on track Tuesday at Sacramento. The team will practice on Monday in Los Angeles before traveling to Sacramento Monday afternoon.

Kevin Durant is following up Thursday's night's 27-point performance against Phoenix with another spectacular outing. He's already got 21 points, along with seven rebounds and four assists.

Seattle needs every point by Durant, down 78-76 at the end of the third.

Make that down 88-80 with 8:51 left in the game, as the Clippers went on a 10-4 run to start the fourth. Seattle needs to answer with another run of their own. It's seems like every fourth quarter this teams starts off slow, particularly on defense. The Sonics are giving up too many open looks defensively.

It's 52-all here at halftime.
The Sonics made a nice run late to get back into it. Things didn't look good midway through the quarter. The Clippers went on a 15-3 run to take a 48-38 lead with about four minutes left.

Chris Wilcox made things worse when he received a technical foul for arguing a non-call.

But Wilcox made up for it by scoring the next five points. Wilcox is Seattle's leading scorer with 15 points at halftime. Kevin Durant's filling up the stat sheet with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. And Jeff Green is playing the good so far, with 12 points.
Damien Wilkins contributed nine points, including a leaning jumper late to tie the game.

If Seattle can make a spurt early in the third and get control they could come away with their first win of the year.

The Lakers and Jazz will play here later tonight, which is the reason the Clippers and Seattle are playing at 12:30 p.m. I was talking to one of the Clippers official scorekeepers, and he said the staff here makes the turnaround from Clippers floor to Lakers floor or LA Kings hockey ice rink in an hour and a half.

Listed as questionable coming into today's game, Seattle center Robert Swift said he could go during pregame. Swift played about six minutes and had a rebound and an assist.

Swift said he hasn't played so far because he knee locked up, which was not unexpected. He said the only way for his knee to loosen up was to stay off of it and get treatment the last week.

It's a back-and-forth game so far, but one for the taking is Seattle can up its intensity and take control.

Rookie Jeff Green has played well so far. He has eight points and has been going to the rack hard, with two conventional 3-point plays.

It's 31-30 Clippers with about eight minutes left in the half.

Seattle has a chance to get its first victory of the year if the Sonics show up to play today, in an afternoon game against the Clippers.

However, it won't be easy. The Los Angeles Clippers defeated Golden State on Friday, 120-114. Chris Kamen led Los Angeles with 26 points and 18 rebounds.

Starters for the Clippers are Sam Cassell at point guard, Quinton Ross at shooting guard, Corey Maggette and former Sonic Ruben Patterson at the forwards, and Kamen at center.

Veterans Cutino Mobley and Brevin Knight are the main guys off the bench for Los Angeles.

Elton Brand (torn achilles) and Shaun Livingston (torn left knee ligaments) are out for the season.

Here's a preview on the Clippers.

The Clippers will pose a problem inside for Seattle. They outrebounded Golden State 53-36. And Seattle again will play without centers Kurt Thomas and Robert Swift, who have not played a regular season game yet and are nursing nagging injuries.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said his team has made progress since training camp, but still has a long way to go. One of the main problems for Seattle has been finishing in the fourth quarter. Carlesimo said it wlll take time, both from coaches and players, to figure out how to close out games.

Listen to the conversation with Carlesimo here. Coach also provides a run down of the Clippers here.

I believe Seattle will go with the same starting line-up of Earl Watson at point guard, Kevin Durant at shooting guard, Damien Wilkins at small forward, Chris Wilcox at power forward and Nick Collison at center.

I'll confirm that during pregame today.

Also, a couple national stories on the Sonics. One takes Clay Bennett to task, and another provides an overview of the uncertainty of the Sonics staying in Seattle.

A quick look at some of the comments from individuals on the Sonics filing for relocation to Oklahoma City.

"The move today was no surprise. We continue to work with others on the arduous process of keeping the Sonics and Storm in Seattle."

-- Washington state Gov. Chris Gregoire

“The history of sports is littered with franchises that intended to relocate, said they would relocate and for whatever reason didn't relocate,'' said Cornett, a former television sportscaster. "Things change. I don't anticipate anything changing, but things do change.''

-- Mick Cornett, Oklahoma City mayor

“It seems like a pretty transparent strategy on his part. We would much prefer that he work with us and the fans to be successful in Seattle, instead of trying to alienate the fan base and create a false financial crisis for the team to help his argument to break the lease. My advise to fans is to go to the games and prove him wrong.”

-- Tim Ceis, deputy mayor of Seattle

“We want to recapture the spirit and love of basketball in Seattle by bringing the Sonics and Storm back to local ownership,”

-- Dennis H. Daugs, a former minority owner of the NBA franchise, and part of a local investor group that offered to buy the Sonics

“Demonizing Clay is not going to help solve the problem. His group owns the team, and until the moving fans show up at the door and start moving sports material out, I think people should try to work with him to try and find a solution.”

-- Peter von Reichbauer, King County councilmember, and a person who helped broker previous deal to keep the Seahawks in town.

“The answer for Seattle always has been, and always will be that we get a building done. If we get a building done and we do it for Clay, or another ownership group then it does not matte what he has applied for or what he tells David Stern. Now is the time for the politicians to start sweating things a bit and make sure that we put the choice in front of the NBA. Do they abandon this market to satisfy a guy’s desire to fill his hometown market?”

-- Brian Robinson, Save Our Sonics and Storm

It's official now. Here's the full statement from Sonics chairman Clay Bennett. I will have more later.

The following is a statement from Seattle SuperSonics & Storm Chairman Clayton I. Bennett.

On behalf of the owners of the Seattle SuperSonics and Seattle Storm, I am disappointed that our efforts over the last fifteen months to foster the development of a new multi-purpose arena in the Greater Seattle area were not successful. From the beginning, it has been my absolute hope and expectation that we would be able to secure the necessary governmental commitments to build a successor venue to KeyArena. Even though our proposal for a new state-of-the-art multi-purpose facility to be built in Renton was thoughtfully developed by a world-class team, was financially reasonable and was realistically attainable, we were unable to persuade the Washington Legislature to vote on our bill. The region is still in need of a modern building, not just for the Sonics and Storm, but also for the broad commercial and quality of life benefits such facilities provide.

We now understand and respect that there is very limited public support for such a public investment. As we stated on July 18, 2006, and have stated on many occasions thereafter, KeyArena is not a viable modern venue for the NBA and if a successor facility is not identified by October 31, 2007, we would evaluate our options, which would include relocation. Given the clear lack of public, political, and business support for a new multi-purpose arena, plus the enactment of Initiative 91 as a City of Seattle ordinance following a public vote authorized by the Seattle City Council itself, and the significant operating losses the businesses are now incurring, we have no option but to commence the NBA relocation process.

Today we notified Commissioner Stern that we intend to relocate the Sonics to Oklahoma City if we succeed in the pending litigation with the City, or are able to negotiate an early lease termination, or at the end of the lease term.

We have not made a decision regarding the future location of the Seattle Storm. We appreciate the deep local interest and support for the Storm and have begun to evaluate a future course of action for the team.

Notwithstanding the uncertainty and difficulty of this challenging time, we remain completely committed to the success of our basketball teams. We will continue to provide our players, coaches and staff the tools and support they need to be competitive.

We are also completely committed to providing our fans a first class basketball, entertainment and social experience. We will do all we can to ensure that our fans, sponsors and marketing and broadcast partners enjoy the highest value from their relationship with the Sonics and Storm.

There have been many in the region who have provided courageous, visionary support to our efforts. We sincerely appreciate your hard work and friendship in this difficult process.

In case you missed it this morning, a local ownership group headed by Dennis H. Daugs, a private wealth manager and managing director of Lakeside Capital Management LLC.

The group issued a news release today saying the group had written a formal letter of interest to Sonics owner Clay Bennett of Oklahoma City, who also owns the Seattle Storm of the WNBA.

“We want to recapture the spirit and love of basketball in Seattle by bringing the Sonics and Storm back to local ownership,” said Daugs, a former minority owner of the NBA franchise. Read more about the story here.

This is one of a couple groups that's been rumored to be interested in buying the Sonics.

Problem is, Clay Bennett's group is not interested in selling the Sonics. The Sonics ownership group is expected to make an announcement today regarding the future of the team.

I'll keep you posted throughout the day on what is happening in what figures to be a busy news day regarding the Sonics. For those who wish to discuss last night's game, pop in and comment here, or continue on last night's post and I'll pop in to comment further on team stuff.

33 - That's how many 3-pointers Seattle allowed Phoenix to shoot. The Suns made 11 of them.

27 - The amount of points Seattle rookie Kevin Durant scored in the team's home opener. Durant was impressive, even making shots late in the game to keep the Sonics close.

41 - What Seattle shot from the field against the Suns.

22 - The amount the Sonics have been outscored in the fourth quarter the first two games of the year.

Another good effort, but no win to show for it.

Kevin Durant looked good in his first home game, and scored some buckets late to keep Seattle in it. But Seattle is still figuring out how to finish games.

Earl Watson talks about the game here.

Seattle is up 82-79 heading into the fourth quarter. We know what happened against Denver on Tuesday night. Can Seattle avoid another letdown? We'll see.

Tonight Chris Wilcox (19 points) and Kevin Durant (22 points) have carried Seattle.

And defensively the Sonics have been better in getting to their rotations.

Should be an entertaining final quarter. Hope you're watching.

In his first regular season home game rookie Kevin Durant has been as good as advertised, scoring 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting.

The up-tempo game seems to be helping Durant, as he is getting out in the open floor more, making it easier for him to get shots close to the basket.

After watching Seattle play Phoenix again a second time this year the Sonics seem to match up well with the Suns because of Phoenix's lack of height.

In particular, guys like Nick Collison can score a lot easier inside.

Defensively Seattle has looked better, getting out on Phoenix's shooters and holding them to one shot.

Damien Wilkins hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Seattle a 58-55 lead at the half.

A few comments on Seattle's loss to Denver on Wednesday, along with some audio from the locker room.

Durant debut -- I thought Kevin Durant played poised considering all of the attention he's receiving. Yeah, he didn't shoot the ball great (7-for-22), but I thought he played aggressive and finally hit a couple shots toward the end of the game. I was particularly impressed with his defense (3 steals, and a block on Carmello Anthony). He's so long, I think he's going to end up with a lot of steals and blocks, particularly as he gets more comfortable.

Guard play -- Not great. Too many turnovers, specifically at the end of games when you need to value the ball. Delonte was great scoring off the bench (19 points), but he's got to take care of the rock (5 turnovers) if he's going to run the point on a consistent basis. Earl Watson can play better, but everybody gets lit up by Iverson, so I'd give him a pass on the opener. Really surprised that Ridnour didn't see the floor, and I'm wondering how that situation will play out in the next couple weeks.

Wilkins en fuego -- Damien really shot the lights out, finishing with 21 rebounds and eight rebounds. Let's see if he can keep that up.

Wilcox and Collison OK -- I thought both Wilcox and Collison played good enough for Seattle underneath the basket. Wilcox finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Collison eight points and 11 rebounds.

Wrapping it up -- Seattle might look like this in a lot of games the first part of the season as they figure out who to go to down the stretch when they need to close out games. But for three quarters they were respectable, and they played hard. Now they'll see if they can put forth the same effort against Phoenix.