Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker each scored 22 for the Spurs, who at 12-2 are off to their best start after 14 games in team history - one game better than last season.
Reserve Wally Szczerbiak scored 27, including a season-high 20 for the Sonics in the second quarter, and Kevin Durant ended a shooting slump with 25 on 11-for-15 shooting for Seattle, which matched its worst start since its inaugural season of 1967-68. The Sonics are 0-6 at KeyArena, their worst home start ever.
Quite a way to turn off what’s left off their fan base before an intended move to Oklahoma City for next season.
Seattle’s one surge came when Delonte West, coach P.J. Carlesimo’s current choice at point guard late in games, made a 3-pointer and Nick Collison drove under Duncan for a reverse layup to cut the Spurs’ lead to 101-97 with 5:11 left.
But then West turned the ball over and missed a 3 and Chris Wilcox missed a dunk. Parker, meanwhile, made consecutive baskets - the second a fallaway pushing off one leg - and two free throws to put the Spurs back in command, 107-99.
Szczerbiak was feeling so good in that second quarter that he pulled rank and refused to hand off to a surprised Durant during a give-and-go play late in the half. Szczerbiak stepped back and made his eighth shot in 10 tries instead.
Szczerbiak’s bonanza brought Seattle back from a seven-point deficit into a tie at 64 at halftime.
That in itself was such an accomplishment for the Sonics, the arena public address announcer intoned “What do you know?” to the surprised crowd at the end of the half.
The competitve game was short-lived as the Spurs opened the third with 12 straight points to seize control. Duncan had six, all inside. The lead grew to 80-67 with 5:21 left in the period when Duncan’s pass found Ginobili running the baseline for a soaring, left-handed dunk
Durant wowed the champs - and the crowd - with a quick crossover dribble that buckled Ginobili’s ankles late in the third quarter .
The second overall pick in June’s draft tried to top that and bring the Sonics within five points of the Spurs late in the third when he took a long outlet pass, drove hard at and under Duncan - but he threw a wild shot high and wide off the glass. Carlesimo bowed his head, clasped his hands on the back of his neck and then pulled Durant from the game.
