OAKLAND, Dec. 30 -- Gary Payton notched his fifth career triple- double with 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds Tuesday, as the Seattle SuperSonics defeated the Warriors, 101-87. The Sonics, who won their sixth straight road game, beat Golden State for the 11th consecutive time.
Seattle, which moved its record to an NBA-best 24-6, won its third straight contest. Seattle was behind by three points after one quarter, but took a 57- 55 edge at the half. The game was tied at 68-68 with 6 minutes 9 seconds left in the third quarter following a Erick Dampier slam dunk. However, Seattle went ahead for good by scoring 14 of the next 16 points. Vin Baker, who had 16 points on the night, finished the spurt with two free throws with 1:54 left in the quarter. Golden State pulled within 89-80 with 7:02 left in the fourth, but the Sonics scored 10 of the next 12 points to pull away for good. Dale Ellis scored 21 points for the Sonics, while Joe Smith led the Warriors with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
