VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Gary Payton led a third-quarter charge and finished with 40 points as Seattle dealt Vancouver its ninth straight loss, 113-103, Monday night.
Payton keyed an 18-6 Seattle run to begin the second half, hitting five of his first seven shots, to offset Vancouver center Bryant Reeves' season-high 31 points.The Grizzlies got as close as 96-92 with 6:49 left, but the Sonics held on for their third win in four games.
LAKERS 118, NUGGETS 108: At Denver, Shaquille O'Neal had 40 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers won their 19th straight game, the third-best run in NBA history and the longest since the Chicago Bulls had an 18-game streak end against Denver on Feb. 4, 1996.
With a victory Thursday night in Washington, Los Angeles can tie the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks for the second-longest streak. The 1971-72 Lakers hold the league record of 33 straight.
Reserve Chris Gatling had 25 points to lead Denver, which has lost six in a row.
PISTONS 124, CELTICS 115: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Jerry Stackhouse scored 36 points, as Detroit ended Boston's four-game winning streak.
Lindsey Hunter added 25 points for Detroit, which improved to 3-1 under interim coach George Irvine.
Detroit led 72-47 at intermission, the most points for the Pistons in a half since April 1991.