Seattle – Nothing but sun in a rainy town? Check. Lunch with your sister? Check. Beat your old team in your first visit with your new team? Check.
Count Sunday as a nearly perfect day for coach George Karl as he watched his Nuggets outrun Seattle 18-10 in overtime on the way to a 120-112 win at KeyArena to snap a four-game road losing streak.
“Seattle’s a great place,” the coach said of the town where he made his lone NBA Finals run. “I mean today, I just remembered so many great days in Seattle, walking around downtown, the sunshine. Anytime you can see Mount Rainier, it might be the prettiest place in the world.”
This game continued what is becoming an annual tradition of wild meetings between these teams here. First there was Carmelo Anthony’s last-second game-winner his rookie season. Then came Earl Boykins’ overtime gone wild last season.
On Sunday, the Nuggets (28-25) overcame eight 3-pointers by Ray Allen by hitting 13-of-15 free throws in the fourth quarter while their hosts took zero. A 17-foot jumper with 10.1 seconds by Damien Wilkins (21 points, 10 rebounds) forced the extra session, but the Nuggets dominated from there.
“It always comes down to the end when we play here,” said Anthony, who finished with 33 points and nine rebounds. “This is a tough building to play in, especially when the crowd starts going off, Ray Allen starts hitting 3s, things of that nature. But I think we did a good job of holding our head when they made a run.”
Karl credited the offense of Anthony and Kenyon Martin and the late defense of Eduardo Najera and especially Greg Buckner. Allen scored 30 as Seattle (20-31) built a 92-87 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but just four from there with Buckner guarding him.
“He just missed shots,” said Buckner, adding he didn’t do that much. Buckner’s 3-point try at the end of regulation bounced in and out. “I’ve got to give credit to my teammates. They gave me a lot of help, where I could be more aggressive without having to worry about being blown by.”
Meanwhile, Anthony surged near the end, pushing to the basket as he scored 19 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Sonics coach Bob Hill grumbled that his team could not get a call. Officials favored Denver with a 34-18 foul disparity and a handful of noncalls on what looked like turnovers.
Hill also sounded unimpressed by the outcome, saying, “If they are the best team in our division … then our division is up for grabs.”
The presence of star forward Rashard Lewis (right quadriceps bruise) could have helped Seattle. Then again, the Nuggets went without center Marcus Camby for the final 12:46 after he strained his neck while falling in a collision with Sonics big man Mikki Moore. Camby expects to play Wednesday against Phoenix.
Aside from that injury and some early rebounding problems, it was a nearly spotless day for Karl.
“Right now these wins, they mean a lot for us, not just him,” Najera said. “I think he’s happy he beat his (old) team here. I think he’s happier he got the W.”
Staff writer Adam Thompson can be reached at 303-820-5447 or athompson@denverpost.com.
