Payton Gives Iverson Lesson as Sonics Win

Gary Payton got the better of rookie Allen Iverson in nearly every facet of the game, scoring a team-high 26 points to lead the Seattle SuperSonics to a 118-94 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night at Philadelphia.

Sam Perkins added 22 points on nine of 10 shooting, but Payton turned the game Seattle’s way by dominating Iverson in the third quarter.

Payton was 12 for 18 from the field with four assists, five rebounds, two steals and two turnovers. He spent the entire fourth quarter on the bench with Seattle comfortably ahead.

Iverson had four of his seven turnovers in the first six minutes of the game. The rookie from Georgetown had 11 assists, but he was only four for 17 from the field and failed to stop Payton every time they faced off one on one.

Of Iverson Payton said, “He’s got to learn to be more in control and make less turnovers, but he’s going to be OK once he gets two or three years under his belt.”

Charlotte 107, Vancouver 91--The travel-weary Hornets, playing the final game of a franchise-record seven-game trip, trailed by 15 points in the first half before taking control by outscoring the Grizzlies, 32-15, in the third quarter.

Dell Curry scored 10 of his 23 points in the third quarter. Glen Rice led the Hornets with 30 points.

It was a big night for former Lakers. Anthony Peeler led Vancouver with 23 points and George Lynch added a season-high 20.

Peeler made all eight shots in the first half--many with Curry guarding him--and scored 19 points as the Grizzlies jumped to an early lead.

“It inspires you any time you get lit up like that,” Curry said. “You want to come back and try to do something. We wanted to win and we had to come out and play better than we did as a team in the first half.”

Before the game, the Grizzlies placed point guard Greg Anthony on the injured reserved list after X-rays discovered a hairline stress fracture in his left ankle. He is expected to sit out at least two weeks.