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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
SEATTLE (AP) -- George Karl and the Milwaukee Bucks made
themselves right at home in Key Arena.
|  | | George Karl was welcomed back to Seattle with a 45-second ovation. |
Tim Thomas made Karl's return to Seattle a success, hitting a
15-foot jumper at the buzzer to give Milwaukee a 101-99 victory
over the Seattle SuperSonics on Saturday night.
"Timmy made a great shot because he was covered," Karl said.
"It was a great night. I'm happy as can be right now."
Karl, 384-150 in 6½ seasons with the Sonics, received a
45-second standing ovation when he walked onto the floor three
minutes before the start of the game.
"The fans were great, but then I have never had problems with
the fans, just the organization," Karl said.
Karl coached the Sonics to four divisional championships and one
berth in the NBA Finals. He was fired after the 1997-98 season.
Gary Payton led the Sonics with 29 points. He tied it at 99 with
2.1 seconds left, driving to the basket after the Bucks committed a
shot-clock violation with 9.2 seconds remaining.
Glenn Robinson led the Bucks with 24 points, and Ray Allen and
Sam Cassell had 18 points apiece. Ruben Patterson added 22 points
for the Sonics and Brent Barry had 20.
"It was an important game for George and we had a lot of motivation to play a game like this," Allen said. "The team responded well."
The Bucks handcuffed Vin Baker in their second meeting in nine
days. In Seattle's 104-96 victory on Jan. 20, Baker scored 31
points. Baker managed 10 points against his former team on
2-for-9 shooting with four turnovers and five rebounds in 40
minutes.
"I had a feeling they would double me all night, and it was a
struggle for me offensively," Baker said.
Thomas scored 16 points for the Bucks, and Scott Williams had a
solid performance with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Both teams got off to sluggish starts in the fourth period,
combining for eight points in the first 5:09 of the quarter.
Patterson's putback basket tied it at 84 after three periods.
The Sonics outscored the Bucks 9-2 to erase an 82-75 deficit.
The Bucks scored the first nine points of the third period for a
67-57 lead. The Sonics charged back behind Payton and Patterson
with Payton's reverse layup cutting the deficit to 75-73 with 4:58
left in the quarter.
Barry returned to the lineup after missing the previous game
with a mild concussion. He was 4-for-7 from 3-point range in 38
minutes. He had 12 points in the first half and hit two of three
from 3-point range.
The Bucks took a 58-57 lead at halftime as Cassell scored 11
points in the period, including the last five of the half.
The Bucks led 29-26 after one period. Allen scored 13 for the
Bucks in the opening period. The Sonics missed their first nine
shots and did not get a basket until Patterson's dunk with 6:17
left in the quarter.
Game notes
Karl wore a blue tie with a resplendent green Space Needle
on it for his visit to Key Arena since he was fired after the
1997-98 season. He last wore the tie when he was coach of the Sonics.
... Baker scored 26 points in the first half against the Bucks on
Jan. 20. He had four points in the first half Saturday, all from
the free-throw line.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Milwaukee Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
Fouled Out: The return of Karl
RECAPS
Detroit 90
Philadelphia 88
Minnesota 96
Utah 94
Toronto 106
Chicago 89
Indiana 94
Miami 84
Portland 81
San Antonio 67
Washington 103
Cleveland 98
Charlotte 100
Phoenix 79
Orlando 103
Atlanta 87
Dallas 107
Denver 96
Milwaukee 101
Seattle 99
LA Clippers 98
New Jersey 93
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