Payton, SuperSonics Find Some Magic in Orlando

Gary Payton knows when to pick his spots.

Seattle’s all-star guard scored 20 of his season-high 32 points in the second half and the SuperSonics stopped the Magic’s six-game winning streak with a 109-101 victory Sunday at Orlando.

Shawn Kemp had 17 points and Hersey Hawkins added 16 for the Pacific Division leaders, who pulled away in the fourth quarter to win for the ninth time in 10 games.

“I step up when I have to step up,” said Payton, who was 12 for 20 from the field and had seven assists and four rebounds.

“When Shawn is going good, it’s Shawn’s game. When I see we are struggling and we need a lift, then I come in and step up. . . . I’m not going in every night talking about I need to score 30 or 40 points. It’s not that type of party.”

The loss was the first for Orlando under Coach Richie Adubato, who replaced Brian Hill on Feb. 18 and entered the game looking for his third victory in a week against teams sporting some of the best records in the league.

The Magic trimmed what had been a 10-point deficit to three in the last two minutes before Payton made a clutch three-point basket for a 104-98 lead with 1:08 to play.

Sam Perkins, Hersey Hawkins and Greg Graham hit five free throws down the stretch to keep the Sonics in front.

“We played lackadaisical most of the game until the last six minutes,” Orlando’s Penny Hardaway said. “We waited that long to put the pressure on and try to come back and fight from behind. But it was too late.”

Nick Anderson led Orlando with 20 points, although he had only five after halftime. Dennis Scott, Rony Seikaly and Hardaway, who did not score in the fourth quarter, all scored 17 for the Magic, who missed 19 of 32 three-point attempts.

Miami 79, San Antonio 72--San Antonio produced its lowest point total of the season for the second consecutive game, and the Heat came up with their best defensive effort since Alonzo Mourning’s injury at Miami.

The injury-ravaged Spurs’ previous low of 73 points came in a defeat Friday at Orlando. They shot 41% and lost their fifth game in a row.

P.J. Brown scored 16 points for Miami. Isaac Austin had 15 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.

Monty Williams, making his 10th start of the season, scored a career-high 28 points for San Antonio.

Charlotte 108, Minnesota 96--Glen Rice continued his torrid scoring with 39 points as the Hornets won for the seventh time in eight games, defeating the Timberwolves at Minneapolis.

Anthony Mason narrowly missed a triple-double with 15 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists in 45 minutes for Charlotte, which ended its five-game trip with four victories. The Hornets tied their season high with 14 three-point baskets in 21 tries while building a 16-point lead in the third quarter that fell as low as two midway through the fourth.

Utah 93, Vancouver 86--Bryon Russell scored 20 points, including three three-point baskets, as the Jazz retained at least a share of first place in the Western Conference at Vancouver,

Karl Malone, who shot seven for 16 from the floor, finished with 18 points and had his streak of games scoring 30 or more points stopped at six by the Grizzlies.