Davis lifts Warriors over Sonics

The Warriors moved one-half game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers for the eighth overall playoff spot in the Western Conference, while the Sonics dropped to 4 1/2 games behind Golden State.

Davis converted 1-of-2 free throws to tie the score at 97, but Jason Richardson then fouled Rashard Lewis with 7.2 seconds on the clock. Lewis hit 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to push Seattle ahead 98-97.

Davis then dribbled around Damien Wilkins and drilled the game-winner from just inside the top of the key with 2.3 seconds on the clock, as Wilkins missed on a three-point attempt from the right corner at the buzzer.

Richardson scored 23 points for the Warriors, who have won six of their last seven. Al Harrington netted 20 points and Davis had 19 for the Warriors, who are a dismal 8-26 on the road this season and will play in Utah on Tuesday. Andris Biedrins added a season-high tying 18 rebounds.

Ray Allen scored 25 points for Seattle, which is on a five-game losing streak. Lewis netted 23 points, Chris Wilcox had 15 points with eight boards, and Nick Collison added 18 boards for the SuperSonics, who are 18-15 at home this season. They will visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at the Rose Garden.

Golden State attained an early advantage on a 14-2 burst capped by a Richardson runner with a tick under two minutes left in the first, but Seattle closed the stanza on a 7-3 spurt, as Earl Watson’s free throw in the final minute made it 27-16 in favor of the Warriors heading into the second.

The Warriors, though, regained control by scoring the first five points of the second quarter. They held Seattle at bay throughout the rest of the first half for a 59-45 halftime advantage.

The Sonics regrouped in the locker room and opened the third quarter on a 27-10 run sparked by a pair of Allen free throws 19 seconds into the stanza. Lewis’ trey with 3:38 remaining put them ahead 72-69, but Golden State got a pair of three-pointers from Davis and Richardson in the final minute to edge a 77-75 lead heading into the fourth.

Game Notes

This was the fourth and final meeting of the season between the squads...The Warriors won three of the four contests, and have won seven of the last nine meetings overall in the series...Coming into the contest, Golden State had lost two straight after winning its last two at Seattle.