Rashard Lewis

Vin Baker returned to the lineup after missing seven games and scored 19 points last night as the Seattle SuperSonics defeated visiting Indiana, 99-88. Baker, a four-time All-Star coming off the worst season of his career, played 33 minutes and shot 8-for-15. Before the game, Sonics coach Nate McMillan said Baker's bruised left knee was 75 percent, but that the forward had talked his way back onto the court by saying he wanted to play badly. Rashard Lewis scored 24 points as Seattle's sixth man, while Gary Payton scored 20 and Brent Barry had 17 for the Sonics.

Gary Payton reached another career milestone and hardly batted an eye. Payton moved into ninth-place on the career assists list, adding nine more to his total last night as the visiting Seattle SuperSonics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 111-98. "Just another game," Payton said. Payton, in his 13th season, surpassed Terry Porter on the list when he fed Desmond Mason for a layup with 5:38 left in the third quarter to put Seattle ahead, 76-58. Payton has 7,164 assists for his career and needs 48 more to move past Lenny Wilkens into eighth place.

The Seattle SuperSonics are seeking to trade former All-Star power forward Vin Baker to the Boston Celtics, according to published reports. The Sonics would send Baker to the Celtics for point guard Kenny Anderson and center Vitaly Potapenko, the Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer and News Tribune of Tacoma reported yesterday, citing NBA sources. However, the Boston Herald reported Seattle is interested in Eric Williams instead of Potapenko. The newspaper also reported the Celtics would like to get a point guard in return - most likely Shammond Williams but possibly Earl Watson - and are said to be offering Joseph Forte to complete the deal.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Rookie Emeka Okafor had the best game of his young NBA career, with 22 points and 15 rebounds, to lead the expansion Charlotte Bobcats to a 91-89 win over the Detroit Pistons last night. In winning for just the second time ever, the Bobcats became the first expansion team to beat the reigning NBA champion since Portland and Buffalo defeated the New York Knicks during the 1970-71 season. Brevin Knight contributed 19 assists and three steals for Charlotte, while Keith Bogans put up 18 points and seven rebounds.

Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince each scored 21 points, leading the Detroit Pistons over the visiting Seattle SuperSonics last night, 97-85, for their 11th victory in 12 games. Detroit is an NBA-best 26-4, a record that trails the league's best 30-game mark by one win. "We're just having fun," said Ben Wallace (13 points, 21 rebounds). Rashard Lewis scored 27 and Ray Allen had 22 points in Bob Hill's second game as Sonics coach. In other games: At East Rutherford, N.J., Jason Kidd had 16 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds as the Nets beat Orlando, 113-106.

The Seattle SuperSonics acquired veteran forward Kurt Thomas and the Phoenix Suns' first-round draft choices in 2008 and 2010 yesterday in exchange for a conditional second-round draft choice. Seattle also used its $9 million trade exception with Phoenix to complete the deal. The Sonics gained the exception from Orlando earlier this month when they completed a sign-and-trade deal that sent Rashard Lewis to the Magic. Thomas, who turns 35 in October, averaged a career-low 4.6 points per game in 67 games last season while averaging just 18 minutes.

Vin Baker rejoined the Seattle SuperSonics yesterday after spending a night in a Los Angeles hospital, where he was taken after experiencing an irregular pulse, the team said. The 6-11 forward felt dizzy Wednesday night during the Sonics' 114-110, overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. He was hospitalized after the game. Baker has no history of heart problems. He was examined by cardiologists at the hospital and given permission to return to the Sonics. Baker joined the Sonics in San Francisco.

If the 76ers become the team coach Jim O'Brien wants them to be in the months and years ahead, they will look pretty much like the Seattle SuperSonics. O'Brien loves the Sonics' style of offense, which spaces four shooters around the three-point arc and a shot-blocking center. He particularly admired it seeing it in person last month, even if the Sonics drained 18 treys in a 103-95 win over the Sixers at the Wachovia Center. "I've made no bones about it," O'Brien said of his conversations with general manager Billy King.

Firing from all corners as usual, the Seattle SuperSonics hit a mark Ray Allen once took for granted. Allen scored 31 points, Vladimir Radmanovic made five three-pointers and the Sonics reached the 40-win plateau, beating host Cleveland last night, 103-86. The surprising Sonics, one of the NBA's best outside shooting teams, went 10-for-17 from behind the arc to improve to 40-16 this season and 5-1 - 4-1 on the road - since the All-Star break. Predicted by many to finish at the bottom of the Northwest Division, Seattle, which went just 37-45 a season ago, entered with a 12-game lead.

BOSTON - Paul Pierce scored 26 points as Boston pulverized the Seattle SuperSonics, 114-74, last night, just five days after the most lopsided loss in Celtics history. Celtics coach Jim O'Brien, a former St. Joe's star, got the 100th victory of his NBA career as his team ended a four-game losing streak. The 40-point margin was the Celtics' biggest of the season. On Friday, they lost to Detroit by a score of 118-66. "It's good to finally put it to a team like some teams have put it to us this season," the Celtics' Antoine Walker said.

On Thursday night, there stood Kevin Durant, the Seattle SuperSonics' rookie forward, alone, with a simple assignment: guard Steve Nash in the fourth quarter from the top of the key. It happened on one possession. Then two. Then three. This was not a mistake or a result of a defensive switch; Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo wanted the 6-foot-10, 19-year-old Durant guarding Nash, perhaps the best ballhandler and screen-and-roller in the history of the NBA. Durant didn't shut Nash down, but didn't get embarrassed, either.

The Seattle SuperSonics acquired veteran forward Kurt Thomas and the Phoenix Suns' first-round draft choices in 2008 and 2010 yesterday in exchange for a conditional second-round draft choice. Seattle also used its $9 million trade exception with Phoenix to complete the deal. The Sonics gained the exception from Orlando earlier this month when they completed a sign-and-trade deal that sent Rashard Lewis to the Magic. Thomas, who turns 35 in October, averaged a career-low 4.6 points per game in 67 games last season while averaging just 18 minutes.

After four days of working on nothing but defense, the 76ers knew that their work would be put to the test by the Seattle SuperSonics, one of the league's most aggressive offensive teams. The defense wasn't exactly perfect throughout, and the Sonics helped by missing some shots they probably thought they should have made. But the Sixers stayed strong and broke their three-game losing streak with a 96-90 victory last night at KeyArena. Despite a 6-for-22 night from the field, Allen Iverson made 14 free throws and led the Sixers with 28 points.

Rashard Lewis scored a season-high 45 points and the Seattle SuperSonics overcame the ejection of Ray Allen and a career-high 32 points by Orlando's Jameer Nelson for a 113-104 win over the visiting Magic last night. Lewis was 12-of-18 from the field and 17-of-20 from the free-throw line. The Sonics played much of the game without Allen, who was ejected along with Orlando's Keyon Dooling for fighting with 10:53 left in the second quarter. After Nelson missed for the Magic, Allen pulled down the rebound and replays showed that he caught a glancing blow in the chin from Dooling.

Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince each scored 21 points, leading the Detroit Pistons over the visiting Seattle SuperSonics last night, 97-85, for their 11th victory in 12 games. Detroit is an NBA-best 26-4, a record that trails the league's best 30-game mark by one win. "We're just having fun," said Ben Wallace (13 points, 21 rebounds). Rashard Lewis scored 27 and Ray Allen had 22 points in Bob Hill's second game as Sonics coach. In other games: At East Rutherford, N.J., Jason Kidd had 16 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds as the Nets beat Orlando, 113-106.

Firing from all corners as usual, the Seattle SuperSonics hit a mark Ray Allen once took for granted. Allen scored 31 points, Vladimir Radmanovic made five three-pointers and the Sonics reached the 40-win plateau, beating host Cleveland last night, 103-86. The surprising Sonics, one of the NBA's best outside shooting teams, went 10-for-17 from behind the arc to improve to 40-16 this season and 5-1 - 4-1 on the road - since the All-Star break. Predicted by many to finish at the bottom of the Northwest Division, Seattle, which went just 37-45 a season ago, entered with a 12-game lead.

If the 76ers keep playing like this on the road, they're never going to want to come home. It seems like a long time ago, but it was only three weeks back when the Sixers were stuck in the throes of an eight-game losing streak away from the Wachovia Center, including a loss to the dreadful Atlanta Hawks. For the time being, however, the road is paved with victories, the latest being a 114-107 win over the Northwest Division-leading Seattle SuperSonics on Tuesday night. The victory was the Sixers' fifth in a row away from home, and third since the frightening stretch of eight consecutive road games began on Dec. 22. At least, it looked like a daunting three-week span of games after the Sixers' last contest in South Philadelphia on Dec. 20. "You're using the daunting word," Sixers coach Jim O'Brien said in a response to reporters after the win over the Sonics.

If the 76ers become the team coach Jim O'Brien wants them to be in the months and years ahead, they will look pretty much like the Seattle SuperSonics. O'Brien loves the Sonics' style of offense, which spaces four shooters around the three-point arc and a shot-blocking center. He particularly admired it seeing it in person last month, even if the Sonics drained 18 treys in a 103-95 win over the Sixers at the Wachovia Center. "I've made no bones about it," O'Brien said of his conversations with general manager Billy King.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Rookie Emeka Okafor had the best game of his young NBA career, with 22 points and 15 rebounds, to lead the expansion Charlotte Bobcats to a 91-89 win over the Detroit Pistons last night. In winning for just the second time ever, the Bobcats became the first expansion team to beat the reigning NBA champion since Portland and Buffalo defeated the New York Knicks during the 1970-71 season. Brevin Knight contributed 19 assists and three steals for Charlotte, while Keith Bogans put up 18 points and seven rebounds.

It was all sunshine and smiles for the 76ers and their fans last night at the Wachovia Center early in the third quarter, before it started raining three-point baskets at Seattle's offensive end. Ray Allen, Vladimir Radmanovic and Rashard Lewis were firing in threes from everywhere. Radmanovic had to shoot one so high to get it over a leaping 6-foot-11 Samuel Dalembert that it almost scraped the rafters of the arena, but it went through with an emphatic swish. The Sixers were washed away in the torrent of threes.