Seattle, December 22 - Gary Payton scored 20 points and rookie Yugoslav Vladimir Radmanovic added a career-high of 18 as the Seattle SuperSonics cruised to a 117-89 victory over the Pistons, who suffered their season-high fifth straight loss.
Radmanovic who started in place of Baker, hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, then put a scare into his coaches.
Radmanovic stole the ball, raced the length of the floor for a dunk and nearly did a back flip before hitting the floor hard on his back. For a moment he left 14,553 fans breathless. Then he eased off the floor and headed to the bench with two small cuts on the
back of his neck. But he sat on the bench for the remaining three minutes with an ice pack on his head and a smile across his face.
Radmanovic grimaces while laying on the court
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"I asked what country he was in," Sonics guard Brent Barry jokingly said of his chat with Radmanovic on the bench. "He said Afghanistan. ... I've seen things like that before, and it's scary for everybody."
Radmanovic, 21, was diagnosed with a slight concussion but will be re-evaluated today. He was smiling in the training room and cracking jokes in his native tongue with teammate Predrag Drobnjak.
