SuperSonics Take Fight Out of Kings, 123-108

No need for the Seattle SuperSonics to bicker or fight after this one.

Defeating a team with a winning record for the first time in over a month, the SuperSonics took care of the Sacramento Kings, 123-108, Friday night at Seattle to end a five-game home court losing streak and clinch a playoff spot.

“The worst team to play is a team in turmoil,” Sacramento’s Chris Webber said. “We knew we’d be in trouble if they got off to a big lead.”

Gary Payton, who had a locker room fight with teammate Vernon Maxwell earlier this week, had 35 points and 15 assists. Vin Baker, criticized recently for his soft play, responded with a strong effort.

Payton’s play spoke volumes, which was a good thing since he waved off the media after the game. Neither Seattle Coach Paul Westphal nor any of the players addressed their internal squabbling, but it was clear the victory took the edge off some of their problems.

Baker was more than a 6-foot-11 jump shooter against the Kings. He grabbed 14 rebounds, blocked a shot and took two charges.

The Sonics (41-31) moved within a half-game of the Kings (41-30) in the race for the seventh spot in the Western Conference standings. The SuperSonics scored a season-high 69 points in the first half in building a 20-point lead.

Indiana 109, Minnesota 85--Reggie Miller scored 19 first-half points, moving into 25th place on the NBA career scoring list, and finished with 26 as the Pacers trounced the Timberwolves at Indianapolis.

Travis Best equaled his career high with 27 points, shooting 12 of 16 from the field, as Indiana snapped a three-game losing streak.

Any combination of three Indiana victories or losses by Toronto or Charlotte will give the Pacers the Central Division title.

Washington 104, Boston 102--Mitch Richmond’s 16-foot jumper with two-tenths of a second left at Boston sent the Celtics to their sixth straight loss.

Richmond led Washington with 30 points and Richard Hamilton added 20.

Antoine Walker had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Celtics, who fell to 30-42, assuring their third losing record in Rick Pitino’s three seasons as coach.

Orlando 103, New Jersey 97--Ron Mercer scored 22 points and all five starters reached double figures at Orlando, Fla., as the Magic defeated the Nets for the first time this season.

The victory was the sixth straight for Orlando, which took a two-game lead over Milwaukee in the race for the eighth playoff spot in the East.

Phoenix 98, Detroit 97--Cliff Robinson hit the game-winning jumper with 14 seconds left and blocked Grant Hill’s last shot at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Robinson finished with 20 points, Penny Hardaway had 15 points, a season-best 12 assists and eight rebounds, and reserve Rodney Rogers added 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Suns.

Charlotte 110, Toronto 101--Anthony Mason had a career-high 31 points, 14 rebounds and a season-high 11 assists at Charlotte, N.C., for his second triple-double in three games as the Hornets won in overtime for their fifth straight victory.

Charlotte scored eight consecutive points in overtime to overtake Toronto for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Charlotte’s Eddie Jones scored a game-high 32 points. Vince Carter scored 31 points for Toronto, which has dropped six of seven.

New York 89, Vancouver 83--Allan Houston helped the Knicks survive a rocky start, scoring 24 points as New York defeated the Grizzlies at Vancouver, Canada, to clinch a playoff spot.

The win moved the Knicks within a half game of idle Miami in the Atlantic Division, and kept them within three games of Indiana in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Utah 114, Golden State 97--Karl Malone scored 22 points and John Stockton added 15 points and nine assists at Salt Lake City as the Jazz dealt their Warriors their eighth consecutive loss.

Around the League

Atlanta Hawk Coach Lenny Wilkens told his players to ignore rumors that this might be his last season. “I’ve got a lot of basketball games left in me,” Wilkens said. “If they don’t want me here, they’ll have to tell me that.” Wilkens, 62, has two seasons left on a five-year contract. . . . Denver Nugget guard Tariq Abdul-Wahad had surgery on his left wrist to repair a torn ligament, team officials said. Abdul-Wahad, who injured his wrist Feb. 24 against Houston, will be in a cast for eight weeks. . . . The Sacramento Kings placed guard Jon Barry on the injured list and activated center Bill Wennington. Barry, who was averaging 8.4 points a game, has an irritated cervical nerve in his neck, and team officials said they weren’t sure when he would be able to return.