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Ridnour powers Sonics past Warriors

Dec 11, 2006 - 5:08 AM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Luke Ridnour and the Seattle SuperSonics wanted to show they can win without All-Star Ray Allen.

Ridnour scored 26 points and Rashard Lewis added 25 as the Sonics posted a 117-115 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Damien Wilkins scored 22 points and Earl Watson added 20 off the bench for Seattle, which is 3-0 since Allen has been out of the lineup due to an ankle injury.

"We are getting a lot of production from me and Damien," Watson said. "I guess you could say we are stepping it up. I think we are finally getting an opportunity and we are just seizing the moment and taking advantage of the chance to play.

"We are getting into kind of a rhythm and when Ray (Allen) comes back we still have to continue to play that same way. We have to be aggressive, still score points, play defense and just have fun."

Ridnour was 9-of-17 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range for the Sonics, who tied a season high with three straight victories.

Trailing, 72-56, to start the third quarter, Seattle went on a 15-2 run to close within 74-71 with 8:15 left in the period. Ridnour had seven points in the run and Lewis added six courtesy of two 3-pointers for the Sonics, who shot 48 percent (41-of-85) from the field.

"The biggest thing is we were more aggressive," Ridnour said. "We wanted to play better defense and that leads to easy baskets."

"Golden State shot 63 percent and scored 72 points in the first half and we can't win playing defense at that rate," Wilkins said. "We tightened it up a little bit better on defense, got out on the breaks and just attacked their zone."

Baron Davis scored 28 points, collected nine rebounds and handed out 13 assists for Golden State, which has lost five of its last six games.

"It was a hard-fought game and we ran out of juice," Warriors coach Don Nelson said. "We didn't play all that well in the second half and they did. We blew it all in the first half."

Matt Barnes had 20 points off the bench for the Warriors, who also shot 48 percent (40-of-84).

"Anytime you have a team at home, they are always gonna make a run," Barnes said. "They hit us with their run and we didn't hit them back."