And the streak reached 14 consecutive games tonight in a horrifying 103-101 last second loss to the Sacramento Kings. After Damien Wilkins hit a huge 3-pointer to tie the game at 101 with 6 seconds left, Kevin Martin lowered the boom with a buzzer-beater to leave the Sonics hopes crashed once again. While fans can take heart in the fact that the Sonics have had an oppurtunity to win 3 of the last four games, the fact is 14 losses in a row is 14 losses in a row. Kevin Durant had another tough shooting night, hammering away for a 5-20 night. He did show some progress, by salvaging his horrible night by going 9-10 from the free throw line to finish with 19 points and 5 assists( hey if you're going to miss 15 shots, at least you can pass the ball a bit). Kurt Thomas had a very strong game vs. a weak Kings frontline, checking in with 15 points and 10 rebounds in just 28 minutes. Earl Watson had 10 points and 8 assists despite shooting just 33% from the field.
Obviously if you lose a buzzer-beater, you probably didn't play that bad, and that was the case for the Sonics as they pounded the glass vs. the Kings, out-rebounding them 45-36 (thanks to a 15-6 edge in offensive rebounds). But the Kings were better when it counted, going 23-26 from the free-throw line, compared to the Sonics 29-39 showing, and coming up with big shots down the stretch (Kevin Martin in particular shook off a toough night to make them when it counted). Despite the Sonics big edge in offensive rebounds, both the Sonics and Kings attempted 81 shots, which is surprising due to the Sonics percieved edge in possessions.
The loss vs. the Rockets Wednesday night was more painful due to the fact that the Sonics actually had a lead with just 2 minutes to go as compared to tonight where the Sonics had to hit a huge shot just to get it to overtime, but anytime you lose with a buzzer-beater its painful. The Sonics get a chance to buck this losing streak vs. the reigning champion San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, and then meet the runner-up Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. The only good news is that the moderately dreadful New York Knicks visit on Saturday, giving the Sonics a reasonable chance at a home win. The bad news is that the two games vs. the Spurs and Cavs mean that the Sonics stand a very good chance at going winless in January. Thats the kind of statsistic that really hurts morale.
On the plus side, another month of losses or two and we'll be right at the top of the lottery.
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