The Sonics' two best players, Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, went scoreless in the 4th quarter, but they were still able to pull off a 92-91 win.

``In the playoffs, a lot of times it comes down to one stop,'' said Antonio Daniels, who had 18 points and eight rebounds. ``Vitaly did a great job of defending with his body. He forced him into a tough shot.''

Daniels made four big free throws in the fourth period, Jerome James scored 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting and Lewis finished with 12 points as the Sonics pulled to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Sunday in Seattle.

``I thought we played the game they played in Games 1 and 2,'' Seattle coach Nate McMillan said. ``They were the aggressors. They were the team that was physical in the first two games. They had us on our heels.

``Tonight, we came out with a sense of urgency and were aggressive on both ends of the floor,'' he added.