NBA ROUNDUP : SuperSonics End Skid, 120-92

George Karl had it easy for a change Saturday night, and it showed.

Moments after Seattle ended a three-game losing streak with a 120-92 rout of the Washington Bullets, the SuperSonics coach relaxed in the training room at Washington.

“Yeah, I coached the heck out of this one,” Karl said. “It’s real easy when you’ve got Derrick McKey playing like that. He was active everywhere and he really ran the floor.”

McKey scored 19 of his 23 points in the first half to help Seattle build a 69-43 lead, and the SuperSonics led by as many as 40 in the second half in winning for only the second time in seven games.

“We haven’t been a very happy team,” Karl said. “This is the first time since I’ve been here that we’ve lost three in a row. Not only have we lost, but we haven’t been playing well.”

Ricky Pierce had 19 points as the SuperSonics beat Washington for the seventh consecutive time. The Bullets were led by Pervis Ellison, who had 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Denver 111, Dallas 93--After a fast start at Denver, the Mavericks could not hold on to win their second consecutive game for the first time this season.

Behind Reggie Williams’ 23 points, the Nuggets overcame an early Dallas lead to keep the Mavericks winless on the road this season. LaPhonso Ellis and Chris Jackson each had 20 points, as Denver extended its home winning streak to eight.

Dallas, which won its fourth game of the season on Friday, led, 38-26, with 8:13 left in the second quarter, but the Mavericks could not stop the Nuggets from taking a 51-43 halftime lead.

“Dallas was getting position and doing whatever they wanted at the start of the game,” Denver Coach Dan Issel said. “If my math is correct, Dallas scored only 21 points after its 38-26 lead through the third period. We have the capability of playing defense like that. Reggie took control, taking the ball to the basket and rotating on defense.”

San Antonio 104, Minnesota 95--Sean Elliott scored 23 points and the Spurs used a 20-0 second-quarter run to win for the 14th time in 15 games at San Antonio.

Elliott scored 15 first-half points and David Robinson finished with 20 as San Antonio extended its home-court winning streak to 11 games. San Antonio wound up shooting 59.5% from the field, led by Robinson’s 10-of-13 effort.

“This is the 11th game in a row that we have shot over 50% for the game,” said San Antonio Coach John Lucas, 19-3 since taking over for Jerry Tarkanian. “That means we are having a lot of people getting the job done for us.”

Christian Laettner led the Timberwolves, who have lost 12 in a row to the Spurs, with 21 points.

Cleveland 120, Atlanta 109--Mark Price scored 11 of his 27 points in the final 7:39 at Atlanta to lead the Cavaliers to their ninth victory in a row over the Hawks.

“It’s just a matter of matchups,” Atlanta Coach Bob Weiss said. “We really have trouble stopping these guys on any level.”

The Cavaliers saw an early 18-point lead dwindle to five, thanks to Dominique Wilkins, who led the Hawks with 31 points. But Cleveland had Price, who took over down the stretch. Brad Daugherty led Cleveland with 28 points.

“We don’t have a Michael Jordan or Dominique Wilkins, but we’ve got some good players who depend on one another,” Cleveland Coach Lenny Wilkens said. “The cohesiveness gives us a chance to win every night.”

Larry Nance added 19 points and 11 rebounds and Craig Ehlo scored 18 for Cleveland. Kevin Willis and Mookie Blaylock each scored 20 for Atlanta.