SuperSonics 113, Spurs 94
Seattle SuperSonics' Antonio Daniels reacts to a foul called on him during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in Seattle, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2004. The Sonics won, 113-94, with Daniels adding 14 points. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
SEATTLE (AP) — In tough-guy forward Danny Fortson, the Seattle SuperSonics finally may have added the muscle they long have needed under the basket.
Rashard Lewis scored 27 points and Ray Allen added 24, leading the Sonics to a 113-94 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.
The 6-foot-8 Fortson, acquired in a trade with Dallas during the offseason, had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Sonics, who snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Spurs. It was Seattle's first win over San Antonio since March 29, 2002.
”I love him, man,” starting center Jerome James said of Fortson, an eight-year veteran with his fifth NBA team. ”He's a dog down there in the paint, a big strong body. Even in practice, he's a tough guy to guard because he's so big and so nasty.
”We've got enough short, finesse dudes,” James said. ”We need some elbow-throwing dudes and Danny Fortson is one of them. I appreciate having him on the team.”
The Sonics won their second straight at home, after losing their season opener by 30 points to the Clippers in Los Angeles last week.
Antonio Daniels added 14 points off the bench for Seattle, 10 in the final quarter. Daniels' 3-pointer gave Seattle a 99-85 lead with 3:36 left. Allen's 3-pointer with 1:59 remaining put the Sonics in front 107-89.
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 21 points each. Brent Barry returned to Seattle after signing with San Antonio as a free agent during the offseason. He had eight points off the bench, including two 3-pointers.
Tim Duncan, who has led the Spurs to two NBA titles, had a subpar shooting game, finishing with 17 points on 4-for-16 shooting. He also had 10 rebounds.
Fortson said he took it as a personal challenge to make it uncomfortable defensively for Duncan, who has a 22.8 career scoring average.
”A lot of guys don't want to have a hard body against them out there on the court,” he said. ”A lot of times, you have to be on an attack mode out there and I think I did that tonight. You'll see that's basically what I do right there.”
Duncan said he wasn't intimidated by Fortson.
”It was just a bad day,” he said. ”All they did was stay in front of me. I just couldn't make shots.”
Fortson hasn't played much the past two seasons — in Golden State and Dallas — and has developed a reputation for having a bad attitude.
”I just think he had a bad rap around the league,” James said. ”I think this is a perfect opportunity for him to resurrect his career.”
Fortson, 29, said he's dropped 18 pounds since joining the Sonics in July. He said he weighs 277 now and wants to get down to 265.
Coach Nate McMillan said adding Fortson was a major addition to his team, which ranked first in the league in 3-pointers made last season but was last in the NBA in rebounding.
”I thought Danny was out there doing what he does best tonight,” he said. ”He was aggressive on the boards on both ends of the floor.”
Notes: Before the game, Barry said being Duncan's new teammate gives him a different perspective on the Spurs' forward, one of the NBA's top players. ”He's pretty good,” Barry said with a smile. ”You never really get a full appreciation for a player until you see him on a nightly basis.” … Barry said getting an opportunity to go deep into the playoffs was a major reason why he signed with the Spurs. The Sonics missed the playoffs with 37 victories last season. ”Having a chance to win games is something that's been missing in my career,” he said.
AP-DS-11-07-04 2343EST
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