SuperSonics leading scorer Ray Allen did not travel with the team to Denver on Wednesday and will miss the game against the Nuggets to attend his child's birth.

Allen said after Tuesday's night's victory over New Orleans the child is due now, although it had not yet been decided if the birth will be natural or by Caesarean section. The child is the second for Allen and his fiancee.

Rashard Lewis appeared out of sorts on Tuesday night, but says he wants to remain in Seattle.

"I don't even have a practice uniform in my locker," the Sonics forward said. "I feel alone.

"I'm here to support the guys, be that captain," Lewis said. "I want to let them know I'm still part of the team. It's not a season-ending injury, I just want to be ready when I get back."

He doesn't think missing six to eight weeks will affect his decision whether to void the last two years of his contract and become a free agent.

"I'm pretty confident I will be a Sonic for a while. I want to be a Sonic," Lewis said.

Chris Paul injured his right ankle with 1:18 remaining in the first quarter of Tuesday's game at Seattle.

Paul appeared to be in great pain and his teammates carried him off the floor, as he could not exit on his own.

The Hornets have been plagued by injuries throughout the season.

While Danny Forton's time in Seattle has been anything but smooth sailing, his recent stint on the sidelines showed that the Sonics still need him just as he needs the Sonics.

After grabbing 20 rebounds against the Sonics on Dec. 13, Chicago's Ben Wallace said the Seattle players would back down after a hard screen.

The Sonics had no enforcers. A major ingredient for most winning NBA teams is an inside presence, and enforcers ensure opposing players don't prance into the key for easy baskets or clear out under the basket for easy rebounds.

Fortson said he had watched the Sonics' just-completed road trip, where Wallace, Cleveland's Anderson Varejao and Detroit's Jason Maxiell each dominated inside and grabbed rebounds without resistance. And that bothered him.

"I'm a competitor, man," he said. "I want to be out there with those boys, be helpful to the team. It's kind of hard to get around me. I didn't like sitting on the bench. I wanted to be out there and make my presence felt."

Ray Allen scored 28 points after missing nine games with a bone contusion in his right foot as Seattle snapped a season-high six-game losing streak by beating the Raptors 110-97.

Luke Ridnour added 18 points and was one of six Sonics in double figures.

"We had six guys in double figures so the ball moved,'' Hill said. "It was good to see Ray back out there. I thought overall he played very well.''

Bulls GM John Paxson denied the Bulls were close to a trade that involved forward-center P.J. Brown, who has expressed disappointment recently about his role with the team.

"We're not close to anything along those lines, and I tell you that honestly," Paxson said.

The New Jersey Nets reportedly inquired about Brown, but the Bulls weren't interested in either center Jason Collins or guard Jeff McInnis in return.

The Seattle SuperSonics also might be interested in Brown after Dallas Mavericks center Erick Dampier dominated them on Wednesday night.

Sidelined for the last four games because of a strained right foot, Brown is expected to play tonight against the Knicks.

Sonics General manager Rick Sund announced Friday that an MRI performed late yesterday revealed that Sonics forward Rashard Lewis suffered an injury to the tendon sheath on the back of his right hand. Lewis will undergo outpatient surgery this afternoon performed by Dr. Carleton Keck to repair the injury, and is expected to miss approximately eight weeks.

Lewis suffered the hand injury at the 10:54 mark of the first quarter vs. the Dallas Mavericks
on Dec. 20.

Lewis started the first 27 games of the season for the Sonics. The 6-10 forward is averaging 21.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. From the three-point line, Lewis leads the team at 40.3 percent and is shooting a career-high 90.1 percent from the free-throw line. He also leads the
team in double-doubles with six.

Already without star guard Ray Allen, the SuperSonics will attempt to snap a six-game losing streak Saturday against the Raptors. They hope to have forwards Rashard Lewis and Chris Wilcox available.

The New Jersey Nets have made inquiries for Pau Gasol, Rashard Lewis and P.J. Brown recently.

The Nets have been in contact with the Bulls on Brown, who wants to be traded out of Chicago.  The conversation was reportedly brief, when New Jersey offered Jason Collins and Jeff McInnis.

Gasol is untouchable until the Memphis ownership situation is settled.

Lewis would be a gamble for any team that might acquire him because he can opt out of his contract following the 2006-2007 season.

Already without leading scorer Ray Allen, the SuperSonics lost forward Rashard Lewis with a right hand injury in the first quarter Wednesday night.

Lewis was injured in the opening minute, when he attempted to block Erick Dampier's shot from behind. Television replays showed Lewis' hand getting caught in the net as he tried to swat the shot.