Sonics wrap up homestand versus Hornets

This is the second meeting of the season between the clubs. On December 8th, Chris Wilcox had 19 points and eight rebounds to lead Seattle to a 94-74 win over the Hornets at KeyArena.

The SuperSonics have won two of the last three contests in this series. The Hornets have lost two in a row and five of their last six at Seattle.

The Hornets will host the Sonics on February 23, 2007 and April 4, 2007 in the final two contests of the season between the squads.

Seattle is 1-1 on the homestand. On Saturday, All-Star guard Ray Allen returned from a nine-game absence and scored 28 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists to lead the SuperSonics past the Toronto Raptors, 110-97, at KeyArena.

Allen missed time with a bone bruise in his right ankle. The Sonics were just 3-6 without him in the lineup.

Luke Ridnour posted 18 points and six assists in the win over Toronto for Seattle, while Nick Collison had 15 points and eight boards for the SuperSonics, who snapped a six-game losing streak.

The SuperSonics are 7-7 at KeyArena this season. They will play their next two games against Northwest Division rivals. Seattle is scheduled to visit Denver on Thursday and Minnesota on Friday.

New Orleans/Oklahoma City will try and get back on the winning track this evening. Tony Parker scored 19 points and handed out nine assists as the San Antonio Spurs routed the Hornets, 112-77, on Saturday at the Ford Center.

Chris Paul scored 20 points in the loss to San Antonio for the Hornets, who have lost five of their last six games overall. Rasual Butler ended with 16 points and Jannero Pargo added 11 off of the bench in defeat.

The Hornets are without three key players. Peja Stojakovic (lower back) is expected to miss at least two months, and David West (right forearm/elbow) is out indefinitely. Jackson has a cracked left rib and has not played since November 28th.

New Orleans/Oklahoma City is 5-9 on the road this season. The Hornets will visit Portland on Wednesday.