Bulls snap Sonics' winning streak at three

Seattle forgot the secret to its recent wins on Monday, giving a flat defensive effort in losing 118-108 to Chicago. The loss ended the Sonics' attempt to morph a franchise-record 14-game losing streak into their first four-game win streak since April 2006.

In a quiet locker room, the only laughter was native New Yorker Wally Szczerbiak ribbing center Kurt Thomas, a Texan, about the Giants' Super Bowl win.

Monday, the Sonics were out-rebounded 50-35 and not really in the game after briefly leading by three early in the second quarter and pulling within two following a Thomas jump shot with 11:11 remaining in the third, to make the score 56-54.

Each time Seattle hinted at a rally, Bulls big men Joe Smith and Ben Wallace were there for a block or rebound. Or forward Andres Nocioni would hit a three-pointer and guard Ben Gordon would muscle his way to a smooth reverse layin.

The Sonics (12-36), who hadn't allowed a team to score more than 95 points during their first three-game win streak of the season, couldn't counter defensively. Seattle shot 48.8 percent from the field.

"They executed on offense and annihilated us on the boards," Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "Our defense was terrible and the offensive boards were a joke. They're No. 1 in the league in offensive rebounds, so maybe it can be a little one-sided. But it basically started with the first possession. They came out and out-quicked us. We couldn't stay in front of their penetration. Our guys had been playing with a lot of energy and intensity, but coming off a day off, it's very disappointing."

The Bulls (19-28) lead the league in offensive rebounds (13.8), but Seattle leads the league overall in rebounding (45.2).

During the Sonics' three-game win streak, front-line players Chris Wilcox, Nick Collison, Johan Petro and Thomas sparkled. Wilcox averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead them.

On Monday, seven Sonics players finished in double figures, but none finished with double digits in rebounding. Collison had nine.

"When you play Chicago, you've got to come ready to play," Collison said. "A lot of teams in the league, they kind of go through the motions while two guys play. It's not like that with Chicago. There's a lot more motion, and if you're not ready to play, you get broken down because you're always playing from behind and I think that was the case tonight. It hurt in the rebounding because we were out of position a lot — and a lot of loose balls, they got most of them. We didn't get on the floor as much as we needed to, and it showed. They just outworked us tonight."

Entering Monday's game, the Bulls, coming off two losses, were a game out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. There are rumors the team is shopping guard Kirk Hinrich and Chicago is playing without Luol Deng (left Achilles tendinitis), but Carlesimo hasn't discounted the Bulls after they advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.

"They are a playoff team," Carlesimo said. "They have the potential to be a deserving playoff team. They were right in the mix last year, not just in the playoffs, but I don't think anybody was anxious to play them — they were that good. It's just the way the conferences are composed.

"There are some really good teams in the West that are not going to make it. That's unbelievable. Right now, this is not the place to be. ... Even if you won a few less games, playing that schedule prepared you better for the playoffs."

Monday, Hinrich left the game at the start of the fourth quarter with bruised ribs. He stayed in Seattle for further testing when the team made its trip to Portland.

"It's been a rough road trip, but we just wanted to come out and get on track," said Smith, who finished with a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds.

Sonics center Robert Swift (right knee) played in his first game since Nov. 11. He entered the game in the fourth quarter when teammate Thomas left the game with a scratched right eye.

Although Swift said he was slightly winded, he was active in scoring four points and grabbing a rebound in five minutes of play.

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com