Sonics Super Over Nets

After getting about 30 tickets for family and friends from Connecticut, Vin Baker was feeling a little pressure to produce after a so-so first half. He didn't disappoint.

Baker and Vernon Maxwell scored 21 points apiece and each hit big fourth-quarter baskets to short-circuit a New Jersey rally as the Seattle SuperSonics beat the Nets 100-92 Monday night.

Baker hit three straight jumpers in the final period after New Jersey wiped out all but four points of a 22-point lead.

Gary Payton added 16 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists as the Sonics handed the Nets their sixth loss in seven games, their worst start since opening the 1991-92 season with a 1-7 record.

Payton became the Sonics' career assists leader with 4,896, passing assistant coach Nate McMillan (4,893).

Stephon Marbury led the Nets with 24 points and Kendall Gill added 15, including the 10,000th point of his 10-year career.

"There really weren't any positives that we can take from this," Gill said. "We had the opportunity to pull one out and we didn't, so there's absolutely no positive in that."

The Sonics seemed to be cruising to their sixth win in eight games when they opened a 79-57 lead with 3:51 to play in the third quarter on a three-point play by Brent Barry.

However, Seattle went cold after that and the Nets responded with a 22-4 spurt to get within 83-79 with 8:41 left on the last of three straight baskets by Marbury.

Baker then took over, hitting three medium-range jumpers that put Seattle ahead 90-81 with just under five minutes to play.

"I got shots and was focusing on knocking them down," said Baker, who was 9-of-14 from the field.

New Jersey got within 94-90 on a putback by Keith Van Horn with 2:38 remaining, but Maxwell then hit two free throws and a floater in the lane to put the game away.

"It's nice to close out a road trip with a win," Sonics coach Paul Westphal said. "It's aggravating because we didn't take care of the basketball and let them back in the game when we should have put them away. We have to get better at putting teams away."

Seattle took command by opening the second quarter with a 19-3 run that featured five points apiece by Greg Foster and Payton and four by Maxwell, who had 17 in the first half.

The Sonics outscored New Jersey 31-8 in fast-break points.

"The first half our defense was good; we got a lot of baskets off the defense," Westphal said.

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