NBA Game Summary - Seattle at Sacramento

Sacramento, CA (Basketball News) - Ray Allen scored a playoff career high 45 points to lead the Seattle SuperSonics to a 115-102 victory over the Sacramento Kings in Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals at ARCO Arena.

The Sonics grabbed a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven set and can close it out when the series heads back to Seattle for Game 5 on Tuesday.

Allen added six assists and four steals and was 17-of-28 from the field. His point total is the highest by a player in this year’s postseason.

"Ray Allen was great tonight," said Sonics coach Nate McMillan. "He knocked down a lot of big shots and played like an All-Star."

Rashard Lewis posted 19 points and eight rebounds and Jerome James added 17 points and eight boards for the Sonics, who became the first team in this series to win on the road.

Peja Stojakovic had 27 points for the Kings, who led by as many as 19 points in the second quarter before succumbing to Allen and the Sonics in the fourth quarter.

Sacramento is now just one loss away from losing in the opening round for the first time since 2000. That year the Kings were bounced by the Los Angeles Lakers.

"We just got to regroup and we’ve got to win on Tuesday and get back here for the sixth game," said Kings coach Rick Adelman.

Cuttino Mobley netted 16 points and Kenny Thomas chipped in 15 points and 14 rebounds. Meanwhile, Mike Bibby, who scored 31 points in the Kings’ Game 3 victory, had 13 points on just 4-of-17 shooting.

The Kings led 84-80 heading into the fourth quarter, but the final 12 minutes belonged to the Sonics. Seattle opened the period on a 15-4 run to turn its four-point deficit into a 95-88 advantage. Allen had 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers, to spark the burst.

Sacramento would get the lead down to five points on a few occasions, the last time coming after Miller hit a set of foul shots to make it 102-97 with 2:39 left. However, the Sonics closed the game on a 13-5 run and coasted to the win.

"Now, we just have to take care of business," Allen said about the upcoming game.

The opening minutes of the first quarter were tightly contested an Seattle held a 16-15 lead after Jerome James hit a jumper in the lane with 5:41 left. However, the Kings scored the next nine points and closed the period on a 16-4 stretch. Bibby and Mobley each hit three-pointers in the run and Stojakovic’s basket at the buzzer made it a 31-20 game after 12 minutes.

Sacramento continued to build to its lead in the early stages of the second quarter and led 41-22 after Corliss Williamson’s layup with 9:51 remaining. Williamson scored the final six points of the Kings’ 10-0 run to begin the period.

The Sonics would get right back in the game with a 17-2 explosion of their own. Allen had eight points in the stretch for Seattle and James’ converted a three-point play to cap the run and cut the deficit to 43-39 with 6:30 remaining. Sacramento was able to hold onto its lead and took a 68-56 edge into the break.

Stojakovic led all scorers with 21 points at halftime and Allen paced Seattle with 19.

Sacramento held a 75-68 cushion after Stojakovic hit a pair of free throws with 6:18 left, but the Sonics used an 8-2 run to make it a one-point game. Allen started the run with a three-pointer and Vladimir Radmanovic hit another shot from beyond the arc to cut the deficit to 77-76 with 2:10 left. The Kings held off the charge and led 84-80 after 36 minutes.