This time they failed to make all the plays. They did make the right ones, though, at precisely the right times.

After a first-half performance that resembled their play in a 111-68 gem at New York, the Hornets surrendered almost all of a 27-point lead, then stood up again at the finish for a 111-101 victory over Seattle at the Charlotte Coliseum.

It was enough to keep them feeling good about themselves and their chances of making a run in the season's second half, which begins Friday with a game at Indiana.

"We had to hold on," coach Paul Silas said. "But the fact that we were able to shows me we're getting where we need to be."

While the game-long consistency they developed against the Knicks was missing, the Hornets continued their defensive improvement. After their lead dwindled to four in the late stages of the fourth quarter, they held off the Sonics, limiting them to one productive possession in a six-possession stretch as they wrapped it up. They scored six of seven times they had the ball in that span.

All five starters reached double figures, led by guards David Wesley (21) and Baron Davis (a near-triple double with 20, 11 assists and nine rebounds).

The victory moved them, once again, within one game of .500, this time at 20-21. They've come that close to the break-even point several times in recent weeks, only to lose the next time out and start the climbing process all over again.

"We had some carryover (from the New York game)," Silas said of Charlotte's hot start. "It kind of shocked me."

After several minutes of skirmishing with the Sonics (21-20) the Hornets raced away with two major runs. Trailing 24-18 they began the first one with 2 minutes, 22 seconds maining in the first quarter, outscoring Seattle 12-4 to the end of the period and 16-4 overall to take the lead.

After a few minutes of swapping scores, they ran out again, this time with a 15-2 spurt in a three-minute stretch to break open the game. It was 71-66 at halftime, with Lee Nailon ringing up 19 points.

The 71, and the 41 in the second, were season highs for a first half and a quarter.

"They played the way basketball should be played," Seattle coach Nate McMillen said.

That change abruptly as the third quarter began. Unlike the Knicks on Monday, the Sonics fought back. Playing much more aggressively on defense, they limited the Hornets to 14 third-quarter points, made their run and eventually closed to within four with 6:07 to play in the final period. Rashard Lewis fueled the rally with 12 points in the third and Shammond Williams fired in 13 in the fourth.

The separation was five, 99-94, when Elden Campbell came up with what Silas called the game's turning point.

Campbell blocked a Lewis shot from right of the lane and on the ensuing possession, Wesley hit a three-pointer, sending the Hornets on a 10-0 run that ended it.

"I was right in his face," Campbell said of the play. "I guess he just didn't see me."

The Hornets play a back-to-back with the Friday game at Indiana and a Saturday home meeting with Houston. They'll be playing without backup forward Robert "Tractor" Traylor, who went on the injured list Wednesday with a sprained right ankle suffered in Tuesday's practice.

Seattle MIN FG-A FT-A OR-TR A F Pt
Totals 240 42-88 12-16 11-35 16 18 101
Lewis  39 10-25 1-1 0-6 2 4 22
Baker  37 7-16 10-13 5-7 0 3 24
Long  20 1-3 1-2 1-3 0 1 3
Payton  45 12-18 0-0 0-7 9 2 24
Barry  35 4-4 0-0 1-4 3 3 9
James  9 0-3 0-0 2-2 0 1 0
Radmanovic  14 2-5 0-0 0-1 1 0 4
Mason  27 1-7 0-0 2-5 1 2 2
Williams  14 5-7 0-0 0-0 0 2 13


Percentages: FG .477, FT .750. Three-Point Goals: 5-18, .278 (Williams 3-4, Barry 1-1, Lewis 1-6, Baker 0-1, Radmanovic 0-1, Mason 0-2, Payton 0-3). Team Rebounds: 9. Blocked Shots: 7 (Mason 2, Payton, Baker, Barry, James, Long). Turnovers: 7 (Baker 3, Payton, Barry, Radmanovic, Williams). Steals: 9 (Payton 3, Barry 3, Radmanovic 2, Lewis). Technical Fouls: Defensive Three Second, 8:32 second

Charlotte MIN FG-A FT-A OR-TR A F Pt
Totals 240 40-81 22-29 14-47 27 21 111
Brown  37 4-6 6-8 1-9 2 4 14
Nailon  31 9-15 1-1 4-8 1 4 19
Campbell  33 5-9 7-11 4-11 1 4 17
Davis  40 8-18 2-3 1-9 11 3 20
Wesley  43 7-18 3-3 0-0 3 2 21
Magloire  14 3-6 0-0 3-8 1 2 6
Lynch  13 0-2 0-0 0-1 1 0 0
Augmon  14 1-2 2-2 1-1 3 2 4
Drew  15 3-5 1-1 0-0 4 0 10


Percentages: FG .494, FT .759. Three-Point Goals: 9-18, .500 (Wesley 4-9, Drew 3-3, Davis 2-6). Team Rebounds: 7. Blocked Shots: 4 (Brown 2, Campbell, Magloire). Turnovers: 14 (Brown 3, Davis 3, Magloire 3, Wesley 2, Campbell 2, Nailon). Steals: 4 (Brown, Campbell, Augmon, Magloire).

Seattle 28 18 25 30 -- 101
Charlotte 30 41 14 26 -- 111


Att.--9,638 (19,925). T--2:06.

Officials--Joe DeRosa, Derrick Stafford, George Toliver.