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Player of the game: Guard Brent Barry pulled out the three-pointers and jump shots in the second half to give Seattle the boost it needed, finishing with a career-high 31 points and 10 assists. Top reserve: Utah forward Gary Trent, scoring a three-point play three times the old-fashioned way (a basket, foul and free throw), scored 11 points in the first half and 16 total. Digits: The Sonics held Minnesota's high-scoring Kevin Garnett and Joe Smith to six points each in the first half. Quote me: "I don't know what they did, but they got here on time." — Sonics Coach Nate McMillan, joking about all his players arriving for yesterday's shootaround on time after Rashard Lewis (Sunday) and Desmond Mason (Friday) were benched in the first half of games earlier this week for arriving late. You don't get much ball-handling work playing power forward, which Desmond Mason did during his high-school years. But the idea of the Sonics' guard dribbling upcourt before shooting a soft jumper wasn't implausible to Timberwolves assistant coach Jimmy Williams. Williams, then the associate head coach at Nebraska, took a stab at recruiting Mason out of high school. And even when Williams came across Mason again during Mason's senior year at Oklahoma State, the player still needed work on his ball-handling skills. But to see Mason now, you'd think he dribbled a basketball before he dribbled juice after all the work he's put in since turning pro. "He's improved so much," Williams said. "He's a great athlete and wants to get better. I think he'll grow even more so the way he's going." Mason is averaging 13.6 points playing 34.9 minutes a game. Rumor mill Blame it on Utah getting off to its worst start in 19 years or maybe the bigger ranches in Texas, but Jazz forward Karl Malone's name has drifted into the rumor mill as wanting to be a Dallas Maverick or a New York Knick. McMillan has heard the chatter and isn't biting, even though a trade would make tonight's game at the Delta Center easier for Seattle. Malone averaged 28 points against the Sonics last season. In a 91-74 win over the Sonics at KeyArena on Nov. 3, Malone had 28 points and 11 rebounds. "He's still in those Utah Jazz colors," McMillan said. "It (the trade) won't happen tonight, so I'll see tomorrow." Note • Of the Sonics' seven back-to-back games to start this season, only one opponent will have also played the night before. Most, such as the Utah Jazz today, will have had at least one day's rest. When San Antonio thumped the Sonics 110-93 last Wednesday — and Seattle had played in Dallas the night before — the Spurs had a four-day break before the game. |