Box Score

 

UTAH (80)

                          fg    ft    rb             
                   min   m-a   m-a   o-t   a  pf   tp
M Harpring          34  7-15   2-4   2-9   2   4   16
K Malone            38  9-19   4-7   2-9   6   3   22
G Ostertag          41   4-5   3-4  2-10   1   1   11
C Cheaney           19   1-4   0-0   0-2   0   5    2
J Stockton          28   3-6   0-0   0-1   9   3    6
A Kirilenko         37  5-12   0-0   1-2   2   2   11
M Jackson           20   3-4   0-0   0-1   7   1    7
S Padgett            8   0-1   0-0   0-2   1   0    0
T Massenburg         9   2-3   0-0   1-1   0   1    4
D Stevenson          6   0-4   1-2   1-1   0   0    1
J Amaechi          DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
C Arroyo           DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
  
_____________________________________________________
TOTALS             240 34-73 10-17  9-38  28  20   80
_____________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.466, FT-.588. 3-Point Goals:
2-7, .286 (M Harpring 0-3, A Kirilenko 1-2, M
Jackson 1-2). Team Rebounds: 9. Blocked 
Shots:10 (G Ostertag 4, A Kirilenko 4, T 
Massenburg, S Padgett). Turnovers:14 (A 
Kirilenko 3, K Malone 2, J Stockton 2, M 
Jackson 2, M Harpring 2, T Massenburg, G 
Ostertag, S Padgett). Steals: 7 (C Cheaney 2,
A Kirilenko 2, K Malone, M Harpring, J 
Stockton).


SEATTLE (82)

                          fg    ft    rb             
                   min   m-a   m-a   o-t   a  pf   tp
R Evans             27   0-1   0-0   3-6   1   3    0
R Lewis             45  9-17   4-6   0-5   0   3   24
P Drobnjak          29  6-13   3-3   0-2   0   1   17
R Allen             42  6-16   4-4   2-5   4   3   18
B Barry             33   2-7   1-2   2-5   5   1    6
K Ollie             27   3-8   0-0   0-2   3   2    6
V Radmanovic        18   1-9   1-1   1-5   4   1    3
J James             19   4-9   0-0  8-10   0   3    8
E Campbell         DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
V Potapenko        DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
C Booth            DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
J Forte            DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
  
_____________________________________________________
TOTALS             240 31-80 13-16 16-40  17  17   82
_____________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.388, FT-.813. 3-Point Goals:
7-19, .368 (R Lewis 2-3, P Drobnjak 2-5, R 
Allen 2-5, B Barry 1-4, V Radmanovic 0-2). 
Team Rebounds: 11. Blocked Shots:5 (J James 
3, R Lewis, P Drobnjak). Turnovers:15 (B 
Barry 4, J James 3, P Drobnjak 3, R Allen, R 
Evans, V Radmanovic, K Ollie, R Lewis). 
Steals: 10 (R Allen 2, K Ollie 2, R Lewis 2, 
B Barry, P Drobnjak, V Radmanovic, R Evans).

-------------------------------------------
UTAH                 23  15  22  20   -  80
SEATTLE              12  23  25  22   -  82
------------------------------------------- 

Technical fouls: Seattle - 1 (Defensive 
Three, 4:02 3rd).
Flagrant fouls: None. A: 15,588. T: 2:09. 
Officials: Michael Smith, Ron Garretson, 
Scott Foster.

Extended Box

 

UTAH (80) AT SEATTLE (82)

UTAH

                                               REBOUNDS                        
PLAYER           POS  MIN  FGM-FGA  FTM-FTA  OFF-DEF-TOT  AST  PF  ST  TO  PTS
======           ===  ===  =======  =======  ===========  ===  ==  ==  ==  ===
 
M HARPRING        F    34    7-15     2-4      2   7   9    2   4   1   2   16
K MALONE          F    38    9-19     4-7      2   7   9    6   3   1   2   22
G OSTERTAG        C    41    4-5      3-4      2   8  10    1   1   0   1   11
C CHEANEY         G    19    1-4      0-0      0   2   2    0   5   2   0    2
J STOCKTON        G    28    3-6      0-0      0   1   1    9   3   1   2    6
A KIRILENKO            37    5-12     0-0      1   1   2    2   2   2   3   11
M JACKSON              20    3-4      0-0      0   1   1    7   1   0   2    7
S PADGETT               8    0-1      0-0      0   2   2    1   0   0   1    0
T MASSENBURG            9    2-3      0-0      1   0   1    0   1   0   1    4
D STEVENSON             6    0-4      1-2      1   0   1    0   0   0   0    1
J AMAECHI             DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
C ARROYO              DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
  
TOTALS                240   34-73    10-17     9  29  38   28  20   7  14   80
                            (.466)  (.588)  TEAM REBS:  9 TOTAL TO: 16 (22 PTS)    

SEATTLE

                                               REBOUNDS                         
PLAYER           POS  MIN  FGM-FGA  FTM-FTA  OFF-DEF-TOT  AST  PF  ST  TO  PTS
======           ===  ===  =======  =======  ===========  ===  ==  ==  ==  ===
 
R EVANS           F    27    0-1      0-0      3   3   6    1   3   1   1    0
R LEWIS           F    45    9-17     4-6      0   5   5    0   3   2   1   24
P DROBNJAK        C    29    6-13     3-3      0   2   2    0   1   1   3   17
R ALLEN           G    42    6-16     4-4      2   3   5    4   3   2   1   18
B BARRY           G    33    2-7      1-2      2   3   5    5   1   1   4    6
K OLLIE                27    3-8      0-0      0   2   2    3   2   2   1    6
V RADMANOVIC           18    1-9      1-1      1   4   5    4   1   1   1    3
J JAMES                19    4-9      0-0      8   2  10    0   3   0   3    8
E CAMPBELL            DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
V POTAPENKO           DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
C BOOTH               DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
J FORTE               DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
  
TOTALS                240   31-80    13-16    16  24  40   17  17  10  15   82
                            (.388)  (.813)  TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 15 (20 PTS)    
  
   UTAH               23   15   22   20   -   80
   SEATTLE            12   23   25   22   -   82
  
BLOCKED SHOTS: UTAH - G OSTERTAG 4, A KIRILENKO 4, T MASSENBURG, S PADGETT.
SEATTLE - J JAMES 3, R LEWIS, P DROBNJAK.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: UTAH 2-7 (.286), M HARPRING 0-3, A KIRILENKO 1-
2, M JACKSON 1-2. SEATTLE 7-19 (.368), R LEWIS 2-3, P DROBNJAK 2-5,
R ALLEN 2-5, B BARRY 1-4, V RADMANOVIC 0-2.
TECHNICAL FOULS: SEATTLE - DEFENSIVE THREE.
FLAGRANT FOULS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: MICHAEL SMITH, RON GARRETSON, SCOTT FOSTER.
A - 15,588. T - 2:09.

Game Story

SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Rashard Lewis scored 13 of his 24 points 
in the fourth quarter as the Seattle SuperSonics kept alive
their slim playoff hopes with an 82-80 victory over the Utah
Jazz.

Lewis made his final four shots.  For the second straight game,
his big fourth quarter kept Seattle (38-38) on the edge of the
postseason race.  He made 9-of-17 shots, with his biggest a
3-pointer with 34 seconds left that was just its second basket
in a span of over five minutes and gave the SuperSonics an 81-80
lead.

"We keep talking about keeping hope alive, living to see another
day and basically that's what it's about for us," Seattle coach
Nate McMillan said.  "We can't really be concerned about the
other teams in front of us.  We have to worry about ourselves
and winning games.  We just can't afford to lose games and these
guys have responded with good efforts in all these games and
have pulled out some squeakers."

"The 3-point shot Lewis made was a backbreaker for us," Utah
coach Jerry Sloan said. "We still had a chance, but the ball
didn't go in the basket."

Two nights after hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the final four
minutes of a win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Lewis again
emerged as Seattle's hero down the stretch.

One possession after he had missed an open jumper, Allen found
Lewis alone on the left wing and he easily made his second
3-pointer of the game.

"A lot of people are thinking about when it comes to the fourth
quarter, who are the Sonics going to go?" Sonics guard Brent
Barry said.  "Rashard has come up big for us in many situations
and in two straight games, he has given us the 3-pointer that
has given us the win.  So he is stepping up and taking some big
shots the last couple of weeks and that can only be a positive
for our team."

"It was a resemblance to the last game," Allen added. "I'm
starting to get a lot more comfortable with the guys and where
they're going to be."

Lewis also was big defensively, coming up with a key steal on
Karl Malone with 10 seconds left.  After his steal, he split a
pair at the line for the final margin.

The SuperSonics won for the fifth time in six games and moved
within two games of Phoenix for the eighth and final playoff
berth in the Western Conference.

The Jazz roared all the way back from a 14-point fourth-quarter
deficit and still had a chance to win until Matt Harpring left a
3-pointer short at the buzzer.  Utah failed in a bid to clinch
its 20th consecutive playoff berth.

"I don't think this team has any reason to look ahead," Malone
said.  "Hopefully that's not the case.  We are a team that plays
one game at a time.  The two we've played here lately doesn't
seem like we've been looking at these too much."

In the final period, Utah missed 12 of its first 15 shots.  But
Malone's jumper capped a 16-2 spurt that gave the Jazz an 80-79
lead with 45 seconds remaining.

The teams entered the fourth period tied at 60-60.  But it took
just over 5 1/2 minutes for the Sonics to build a 76-62
advantage on a 3-pointer by Lewis.

Malone, who was held scoreless for the first time in his career
in his last visit to Seattle on November 3, scored half his 22
points in the fourth quarter and seven during Utah's late spurt.

Seattle posted its latest victory despite shooting under 39
percent (31-of-80).  The Sonics made up for their shooting
difficulties by clicking at 37 percent (31-of-80) from the arc
and holding the Jazz to 43 percent (24-of-56) from the floor
after the first quarter.

Allen finished with 18 points and Predrag Drobnjak added 12 of
his 17 in the third quarter, helping Seattle overcome a 10-point
deficit in the opening minutes of the second half.

Coming off Friday's overtime loss to the New York Knicks in
which they shot 1-of-11 in the extra period, the Jazz got off to
a quick start, shooting 57 percent in the first quarter and
bolting to a 23-12 lead.  But they made just two baskets in the
final six minutes of the second quarter and settled for a 38-35
halftime lead.

Besides failing to clinch a playoff berth, Utah also dropped one
game behind the sixth-place Los Angeles Lakers.