Player of the game: Vin Baker scored 20 points in the first half, but his detractors would have pointed out his zero rebounds.
But the end of the game the power forward finished with a season-high 27 points and nine rebounds. Top reserve: Earl Watson celebrated his return to Los Angeles with a career game.

The former UCLA Bruin scored a career-high 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting to go with three rebounds.

Key to the game: The Sonics had one of their sharpest offensive halves of the season by shooting 59.5 percent to take a 61-54 lead entering at halftime.

And when Seattle's offense turned sloppy in the second half, it got down and dirty, outhustling the Lakers to gain the victory.

Next: Tonight at 7:30 against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center.

Booth rests sore ankle; injured list a possibility

LOS ANGLES ? Since signing a $34 million deal last summer, Calvin Booth has played with a sore right ankle that turned into tendinitis. And despite the desire to play through pain, the result has been tepid play from the 6-foot-11 center.

Instead of continuing to play with the injury, causing it to exacerbate, Booth has decided to rest until his foot fully heals.

"I think it's time for me to take a few steps back and try get as close to 100 percent as I can," Booth said. "The way I've been at is not close enough to where I need to be to help this team."

Booth went to get a second opinion on the injury yesterday, and the diagnosis was no different from the Sonics' team doctors. The Sonics haven't placed Booth on the injured list because they play only three games in the next nine days. But the move remains a possibility.

"We'll look at that once we get back to Seattle," Coach Nate McMillan said. "We will have days in between those games."

The best indication that Booth's injury has caused poor play is that Booth averages 0.87 blocks.

Last season, Booth averaged more than two blocks despite coming off the bench. When the right ankle healed, Booth developed tendinitis, which became even worse than the sore ankle.

Schultz pep talk to McMillan

Howard Schultz tried to boost McMillan's spirits in a sit-down in Seattle's locker room before the game. The Sonics were off to one of their worst starts in franchise history, which had McMillan frustrated and disappointed. Schultz basically told McMillan to hang in there.