Minneapolis ? The Seattle SuperSonics are enjoying their role as an underrated squad.
Rashard Lewis scored 27 points, Ray Allen added 24 and the SuperSonics again shot well from 3-point range in a 103-92 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.
The only NBA team to shoot better than 40 percent from long range, Seattle made 10 of 19 3-point attempts. It was the fifth time this season the Sonics made at least 10 3-pointers.
Seattle is the first team to win 10 games this season, a surprise considering no one expected the Sonics to contend in the Western Conference.
“We were written off before the season started,” Lewis said. “We’re trying to earn some respect. I think I like it that way. I’d rather be the underdog.”
Lewis hit all four of his 3-pointers during a 31-14 run that bridged the second and third quarters. Allen added 10 points during that span, shaking off a cold that sidelined him for practice on Monday.
Seattle also got a combined 39 points from three key reserves. Vladimir Radmanovic had 17 points, Antonio Daniels 12 and Danny Fortson 10. Daniels also had 11 assists and Fortson seven rebounds.
“I think everybody in our locker room believes we can win every time we step on the floor,” Daniels said.
Kevin Garnett led Minnesota with 16 points and 14 rebounds, and Wally Szczerbiak scored 16 points.
Seattle led by double digits for all but 25 seconds of the second half, against a team that went to the Western Conference Finals last year.
But coach Nate McMillan is trying to keep things in perspective.
“It’s a long season,” he said. “I thought that tonight we were the better team. That doesn’t mean anything. It’s one game.”
Lewis’ jumper in the lane gave Seattle an 81-61 lead and drew a chorus of boos from the crowd, which watched the Wolves spot another opponent a big lead.
After a 3-pointer by Troy Hudson, Lewis hit two free throws and a turnaround jumper to give the Sonics their biggest lead.
“They started pretty hot,” Garnett said. “That’s what they’ve been known for. That’s why they’ve been successful.”
The Wolves, now rivals with the Sonics in the new Northwest Division, looked flat-footed on defense in the second night of back-to-back games. They also committed 17 turnovers, leading to 24 Seattle points.
“It’s our fault for letting them get into a rhythm,” Hudson said.
Minnesota finally showed some life in the fourth quarter. It held Seattle to one basket over the first four minutes of the quarter and cut the lead to 12 points on several occasions. But the Wolves could get no closer until the game’s final minute.
The Sonics shot 12-for-18 (67 percent) in the second quarter, with Daniels continually driving the lane for layups or kicking out to Lewis for 3-pointers. The two combined for 18 of Seattle’s 37 points in the quarter.
“They play a lot like a European team,” Szczerbiak said. “They play for the 3-point shot, and when they hit them, they’re tough to beat.”
Radmanovic made his first six shots. He scored 11 points in the first quarter, making all three of his 3-point attempts as Seattle took a 26-24 lead.
Notes: The Sonics won for just the second time in 12 tries at Target Center since March 1998. … Allen has scored at least 20 in 11 of 12 games this year. … Fortson, who has at least four fouls in every game he’s played this season, had five more Tuesday and has 51 in 10 games. He also picked up his fifth technical foul of the season after getting tangled up with Garnett in the fourth quarter.
