PLAYER OF THE GAME: Vin Baker insisted on playing last week after partially tearing ligaments in his right thumb. And last night, the power forward with a knock for being soft showed his toughness with 21 points (on 10-for-15 shooting) and six rebounds. Baker thoroughly outplayed tough-guy Antonio Davis (six points on 1-for-6 shooting).

TOP RESERVE: The Sonics had their best run of the game in the second quarter with Earl Watson ? not Gary Payton ? running the show. Watson finished with eight points, four assists and two rebounds.

KEY TO THE GAME: Without Vince Carter, the Raptors became even more of a perimeter team than usual. And fatigue from Friday's victory over the Lakers didn't help. Toronto missed its first 13 three-pointers before finishing 4 for 21.

The Sonics have had their best stretch of the season by exploiting a schedule more fitting for a college basketball team.

Instead of last month's cramped schedule ? replete with back-to-backs ? Seattle is playing with renewed energy from days off between games.

Starting today, the Sonics get their most time off this season between games: five straight days before facing the 76ers on Friday.

Although teams look forward to breaks in the schedule, the five-day lull is so long that the Sonics risk getting rusty just when things are going smoothly.

"I am concerned," Coach Nate McMillan said before last night's game against Philadelphia. "Whenever you have three or more days off, it can effect your timing."

The Sonics had four days off before Thursday's game against the Clippers, which the Sonics won 101-90. In Wednesday's practice, the Sonics used officials to try to simulate a game atmosphere.

McMillan doesn't intend to use the time off as a mini-training camp. The NBA doesn't allow teams to have organized practice on New Year's Day. And McMillan will reward his team for their recent play by not practicing today.

"We'll work," McMillan said. "But with the holidays you have to give these guys one of those days off."

Seattle's five days without a game is a quirk in the schedule that resulted from the Sonics having the NBA's toughest schedule during November.

"Three or four or five days off is a bad schedule," McMillan said. But pretty soon, McMillan might be squawking for a different reason: In January, the Sonics play nine of 14 games on the road, including three back-to-back sets.

McMillan sorry for fans

McMillan is no different from other coaches, who are so intent on getting a victory that almost everything else is secondary. If a rival star is hurt, coaches have a that's-the-breaks outlook.

But when McMillan learned that Vince Carter missed the eighth game of his career last night, even he felt for the fans.

"I did sort of feel sorry," McMillan said. "As good as he is, and as much as he does for that team, you want the advantage. But I'm a fan of the game and the players, and I like to see the (top) guys play.

Notes

? Sonics veteran Brent Barry turns the big 3-0 on New Year's Eve.

? Before the game, Desmond Mason was presented with a plaque commemorating his 2001 slam-dunk championship.