Originally published Saturday, January 12, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Notebook | Wilcox, Ridnour, Swift not back to full strength
Sonics forward Chris Wilcox missed his fourth consecutive game because of a right pinkie finger dislocation. Wilcox, one of the team's leading...
Seattle Times staff reporter
Friday's game at a glance
Player of the game: Dirk Nowitzki scored 14 of his 20 points in the opening half. The Dallas forward was 10 for 10 from the free-throw line and had six rebounds.
Turning point: Trailing 32-30 after a 20-foot jump shot from Wally Szczerbiak with 4:09 remaining in the second quarter, the Sonics were scoreless for three minutes and outscored 12-5 to end the quarter.
Digits: The Sonics have lost the past four games by an average of 17.5 points.
Next: Los Angeles Lakers, 7 p.m. Monday, KeyArena.
Sonics forward Chris Wilcox missed his fourth consecutive game because of a right pinkie finger dislocation.
Wilcox, one of the team's leading scorers, said the injury was evaluated while the team was on its four-game trip to start the month, and a torn ligament was discovered. He has the pinkie taped to his ring finger, but he said he feels pain when he catches the ball and shoots.
Wilcox will practice Sunday, and if the pain has abated, he'll play Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
"It's better, the swelling has gone down," he said. "After a couple of practices I think I'll be good to go."
Wilcox was having problems with his knees and ankles before the pinkie injury. He missed one game with a left knee sprain.
"The break helped my whole body," Wilcox said.
Ridnour waits
Sonics point guard Luke Ridnour is antsy to play, but coach P.J. Carlesimo wants him to wait. Ridnour is suffering from a left quad strain. Although he's returned to the court since suffering the injury Nov. 14, he hasn't been able to play continuously without pain.
"We have to be sure that he's ready to come back," Carlesimo said. "He's got to go through a full practice, and he's got to be going forward."
Carlesimo wants Ridnour to practice, and incrementally increase his playing minutes.
Swift returning?
Sonics center Robert Swift was examined by team Dr. Richard Zorn on Wednesday, who said Swift's tendinitis is normal. Zorn said Swift may be able to return to practice in two weeks.
It had been erroneously reported that Swift traveled to California for another evaluation of his surgically repaired right knee.
Of the prognosis, Swift said, "It's good news. It's nothing I did wrong; it's just something where every body is different. It's surgery-related, and it just needs time to heal."
Sending love
Want to see rookie Kevin Durant smile? Just ask him about playing in front of Beyoncé when the Sonics lost to New Jersey on Wednesday. The singer sat courtside with her boyfriend, rapper Jay-Z, and rapper Kanye West.
"I was just staring," said Durant, who calls Beyoncé his favorite celebrity. "Somebody had to come over and say, 'K.D., come on.' The whole game I couldn't look over there because I was going to stare at her the whole time. I really love her."
Note
• Sonics guard Damien Wilkins missed the shoot-around on Friday for treatment on an impacted wisdom tooth, but he played against Dallas.
Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com
| DALLAS | |||||||
| min | fgm-a | ftm-a | or-t | a | pf | pts | |
| JoHoward | 35:08 | 9-21 | 0-0 | 4-11 | 0 | 3 | 18 |
| Nowitzki | 27:18 | 5-10 | 10-10 | 1-6 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| Dampier | 27:14 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 3-10 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Harris | 29:30 | 2-7 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Jones | 20:53 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Stackhouse | 20:39 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Terry | 17:39 | 5-10 | 1-1 | 0-3 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| Bass | 21:03 | 3-8 | 2-2 | 1-3 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| George | 11:32 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 2-5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Diop | 17:42 | 3-3 | 4-6 | 2-5 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Hassell | 6:36 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| JuHoward | 4:46 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals | 34-83 | 19-21 | 15-52 | 13 | 14 | 90 | |
| SEATTLE | |||||||
| min | fgm-a | ftm-a | or-t | a | pf | pts | |
| Green | 34:29 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 2-5 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Collison | 30:40 | 7-11 | 1-2 | 2-7 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| Thomas | 32:51 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 3-15 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Watson | 26:32 | 2-10 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Durant | 33:51 | 4-13 | 7-8 | 0-3 | 6 | 1 | 15 |
| Petro | 9:16 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| West | 21:28 | 1-9 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Szczerbiak | 28:19 | 7-9 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 4 | 17 |
| Wilkins | 20:32 | 2-7 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Gelabale | 2:03 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 28-79 | 11-16 | 9-41 | 20 | 20 | 70 | |
| Dallas | 18 | 26 | 22 | 24 — 90 |
| Seattle | 16 | 19 | 13 | 22 — 70 |
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
UPDATE - 10:45 PM
NBA | Phil Jackson returning to L.A.
Artest to join Lakers, Ariza to Houston
Phil Jackson says he'll return to Lakers
Judge gives suit by Sonics fans class-action status
Jerry Brewer: One year later, pain of losing Sonics persists

2009 fireworks time lapse
With strict parking rules enforced at this year's July 4th celebration on Wallingford Ave North, less cars and more spectators filled the streets.
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