Slam Dunk Central

The Seattle SuperSonics, as overmatched as they are most nights, gave their fans something to feel good about - for at least one night. Rookie forward Kevin Durant scored 22 in the second half as the SuperSonics held off a late rally by the Indiana Pacers to earn their first home win 95-93.The first half was very close, with Seattle taking a 49-48 lead into halftime. The latter part of the third quarter proved key, as Durant scored the last two baskets of the period, giving the Sonics a 70-65 lead. But Indiana would chip away at the Sonics lead, pulling even at 77 on a dunk by Mike Dunleavy with 6:18 left in the game. Seattle would then score six consecutive points, capped by Durant’s 3-pointer, giving the Sonics a 83-77 lead with 4:44 remaining.

Indiana pulled to 83-81 before Durant’s third 3-pointer of the game gave Seattle a 5-point lead with less than 3 minutes to go. Indiana’s Jamaal Tinsley scored a basket as would Durant to give Seattle a slim 93-90 lead with 12.6 seconds left. Indiana got one last look; Tinsley attempted a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left, which fell short. Durant grabbed the rebound, was fouled, then sank 2 free throws to ice the win for the Sonics.

Indiana had to do without Jermaine O’Neal, who sat out with an arm injury, which O’Neal described as a “stinger” to his right shoulder, which occurred when setting a screen for Dunleavy. Seattle’s high scorer was Durant with a career-high 35 points; Chris Wilcox added 12 with 9 rebounds and Kurt Thomas, while scoring only 4 points, grabbed 18 rebounds. Indiana was led by Danny Granger with 21 points, with Mike Dunleavy adding 14. Jermaine O’Neal had a subpar effort, scoring only 12 with 10 rebounds; Jeff Foster scored only 8, but cleared 14 boards. Seattle (3-14) continue their homestand when they host the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night, while Indiana (8-9) flies south to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Sunday afternoon.

Stumble it!