The Seattle SuperSonics are officially on a roll.

One game after coach Nate McMillan declared their victory over the Milwaukee Bucks the best win of the season, the Sonics managed to one-up themselves with an incredibly gutsy 95-86 defeat of the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, their third victory on this difficult four-game trip.

In a game where Gary Payton, Desmond Mason and McMillan all were sick, Brent Barry pulled something in his back, Rashard Lewis was fighting spasms in his back and Vin Baker did not play, the makeshift Sonics came into Conseco Fieldhouse and scrapped for the victory in the getaway game of this journey.

Afterward, you could sense the Sonics' satisfaction in the accomplishment, yet few were willing to gloat at a time when this team is beginning to realize how fleeting success can be.

But even the most difficult man to satisfy in the locker room, McMillan, admitted he was proud of the display his team put on, which included a 27-15 fourth quarter that sent the Sonics three games above .500 (23-20) for the first time this season.

"I am satisfied," McMillan said. "It was a chess match. It was a dogfight for 48 minutes. And we stayed close, we stayed close ... and I thought each guy contributed. And every play seemed like it was a big play. We could have easily been 4-0 on this road trip, we just did not play for a half in Charlotte."

Baker injured his left shoulder in Milwaukee, and said he still is unable to lift his arm above his head. (His status for the game Tuesday against Portland is uncertain.) So McMillan started Jerome James at center, alongside Art Long, not exactly an imposing frontcourt.

But it didn't matter, because Payton overcame his flu-like symptoms and controlled virtually the entire game, contributing 27 points, 11 assists and four rebounds in 45 minutes of play against the Pacers (23-23).

"I've seen Gary play through worse than that," Barry said, "so it does not surprise me that he was out there doing those things."

Barry said he pulled a muscle in his back sometime in the first quarter and had difficulty breathing for the rest of the game.

It did not, however, prevent him from continuing his torrid shooting. Having made 18 of his past 23 shots coming into the game, Barry was

8-for-11 on Saturday, going for 22 points as he finished the trip shooting 76.4 percent.

He clinched the outcome with 42.6 seconds left when he drained the last of his three 3-pointers to give Seattle a 91-86 lead.

"I take a lot of pride in shooting the basketball," Barry said. "Before this road trip, I hadn't gotten a lot of shots and was out of sync and trying to get myself back in rhythm. The last couple of games, I've gotten good looks and just been the beneficiary of good ball movement."

Rashard Lewis had 13 points and 11 rebounds, his 11th double-double of the season. And the Sonics also got a huge lift from Mason, who missed practice Friday with an upper respiratory infection, and didn't look much better before the game.

He said he had a hard time breathing and played with a cough drop in his mouth the entire game. It seemed to work because he made 5-of-11 shots, scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds at a time the Sonics have not gotten much from their bench.

One of the things the Sonics coaching staff thinks is a key to Mason's success is slowing down and playing under control. He had no choice Saturday.

"Your body wants to go fast, but being sick won't allow you to go fast," Mason said.

The other key for Seattle, which has won four of its past five games, is that it turned the ball over eight times, giving up 11 points off turnovers. It was the fourth time this season the Sonics had fewer than 10 turnovers in a game.

"To me, this win makes up for that loss in Denver (on Jan. 18)," Barry said. "We needed something to right the ship a little bit, and to come on this road trip and win 3-of-4 is obviously huge. We are back on track as we head into these final five games before the (All-Star) break."

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* Reach staff writer Frank Hughes at 253-597-8742, ext. 6120, or frank.hughes@mail.tribnet.com

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Sonics 95, Pacers 86

Tuesday: vs. Portland, 7 p.m., KONG, 950-AM

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SIDEBAR: Game in Review

Sonics 95, Pacers 86

KEY STATS - The Sonics turned over the ball only eight times. "Great," Seattle coach Nate McMillan said. "That is a huge stat. With us, if we defend and we take care of the ball, we are capable of scoring. That is a major key to us winning this game."

STAR OF THE GAME - Gary Payton almost single-handedly kept the Sonics in the game in the first half, scoring 19 points through the first two quarters. In the second half, when the Pacers double-teamed him, he handed out eight assists. He finished with 27 points and 11 assists, his 20th double-double of the season. Brent Barry gets kudos for his 8-for-11 shooting night, making him 26-for-34 on this trip.

TURNING POINT - In

the final quarter, with

Indiana leading 84-83 with

4 minutes, 11 seconds left, Barry drove to the basket and was fouled by Jermaine O'Neal. He completed the three-point play for an 86-84 advantage and the Sonics never trailed again.

KEY OBSERVATION - With their talent, the Pacers should be much better than 23-23. After the game, though, coach Isiah Thomas ripped his players, specifically Jalen Rose, for selfish play. "Every now and then, individual agendas creep into the team, and when that happens we don't win," Thomas said. "Not only were we fighting the Sonics, we were fighting ourselves."

QUOTABLE - "We're happy," said Payton, who may have never uttered those words together in his entire career.

NEXT - Tuesday 7 p.m., vs. Portland Trail Blazers, KeyArena.