Sonics survive winless Raptors

TORONTO — It took overtime, 41 points from Rashard Lewis, a career-best performance from Nick Collison, two changes to the starting lineup and a lucky bounce of the ball for the Sonics to subdue a team that hadn't won a game this season.

But who's being picky?

Certainly not Seattle, which squandered an 18-point fourth-quarter lead, mismanaged personnel in the final seconds of regulation and survived a 40-point outing from Toronto in the final period before squeaking out a 126-121 overtime victory that snapped its three-game losing streak.

"We should get two wins for that one because we had to win it twice," Sonics coach Bob Weiss said, who looked as if a heavy load had been lifted from his shoulders.

Many of the Sonics' problems on Sunday were self-inflicted. They controlled the game from the start and built leads of nine in the first quarter, 10 in the second, 17 in the third and 18 (97-79) with 10:53 remaining in the fourth.

Seattle, which had been on the receiving end of lopsided defeats lately — losing its past three games by a combined 93 points — appeared as if it were going to claim its first decisive victory of the season.

Lewis gave Seattle a 113-103 lead with 2:49 left with a pair of free throws. But on their way to prosperity, the Sonics fell into a pothole.

"For a second there, the bottom fell out and we let them back in it," Collison said.

Seattle failed to convert a field goal in the final three minutes, while Toronto sank 4 of 8 shots, including a three-pointer from Mike James that narrowed the Sonics' lead to 115-114 with 26.4 seconds left.

Suddenly, a dormant matinee crowd of 15,033 at the Air Canada Centre sprang to life, while Weiss nervously paced the sideline.

The Sonics extended their lead to three on a pair of free throws from Vladimir Radmanovic, but they made matters worse for themselves on Toronto's last possession in regulation.

The decision to foul James with 4.2 seconds remaining came from the sideline. Weiss had spent the previous two hours watching the Raptors guard bury six three-pointers and didn't want him to convert another, which would tie the score and force overtime.

He instructed the Sonics to intentionally foul the first Raptor who dribbled the ball. However, none of his assistants told him that Ray Allen had collected his fifth foul just seconds earlier.

Everyone knew Lewis had five fouls, which explains why he was on the sideline. But Allen, who also was unaware of his situation, told referee Dick Bavetta that he was going to immediately foul James. After being whistled for the infraction, Allen learned that he'd been disqualified and walked off the court disgusted.

Despite the miscue, Seattle led 117-114 with 2.7 seconds left.

"When you do foul, they got to make [three] plays," Weiss said. "First, they got to make the first free throw. Then they got to get the rebound, and then they got to make the shot."

Remarkably, the Raptors did all three. James drained the first free throw and intentionally missed the second to the right of the rim. Raptors reserve Charlie Villanueva grabbed the rebound and threw up a shot that Radmanovic deflected into the hands of Chris Bosh, who redirected the ball into the basket as time expired.

"I knew they could get the job done without me on the floor," said Allen, who needed 19 shots to score 19 points. "I wasn't worried."

From the start, the Sonics ran the offense through Lewis, who injured his left shoulder five days earlier. If the 6-10 forward wasn't draining shots over 6-8 Jalen Rose or repeatedly driving past Villanueva, then he was scoring at the free-throw line.

Lewis sank 14 of 16 free throws for Seattle, which converted 41 of 49. Toronto attempted just 26 foul shots.

When Allen left the game, the Raptors gave extra attention to Lewis in the post, which allowed Collison to maneuver through the defense for a game-winning layup.

Because James (36 points), Villanueva (26) and Bosh (21) went cold in overtime, Rose was forced to step up. He had a chance to give Toronto the lead with less than 30 seconds left in the extra period, but his three-pointer from the corner hit the side of the rim and bounced out.

Seconds later, Collison beat Matt Bonner into position for a defensive rebound and drained the putback despite being fouled. His ensuing free throw sealed the victory, which pushed Seattle's record to 2-4. Toronto fell to 0-6.

Collison, who was inserted into the starting lineup alongside rookie Johan Petro, finished with a career-best 20 points and career-high-tying 12 rebounds.

Luke Ridnour added 16 points and eight assists, and Ronald Murray chipped in 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting.

"This win doesn't mean nothing," Lewis said. "We can't be satisfied just because of this win. We've got to go out there and beat a legit team, a real good team. This team hasn't won a game yet. When we start beating the good teams, then we can feel good about ourselves."

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com