PLAYER OF THE GAME: Rashard Lewis is back to his pre-injury form, scoring 29 points on 10-for-18 shooting, including six 3-pointers. On a night when Ray Allen was limited to 13 shots, Lewis carried the Sonics to an important win over archrival Portland.

PLAY OF THE GAME: After the Sonics missed three shots on the same possession, Johan Petro leaped to save a ball headed out of bounds. He tossed the ball to Luke Ridnour, who flipped it to Allen, who canned a crushing 3-pointer for a 71-51 lead late in the third quarter.

WAITING UNTIL APRIL: Lewis said he is likely to pass on the Sonics' two-year, $25 million offer, believing the summer could bring a more lucrative extension.

"Everything's pretty much on the right pace (with the Sonics)," he said Monday. "I don't really want too much negotiating throughout the rest of the season. They obviously gave us an offer but it would be not smart to sign up for the extension when you can wait until the end of the year and get a three-year extension."

Lewis hired Houston-based agents Tony Dutt and Colin Bryant earlier this month, hoping the two could work out the best deal.

MEMORIES OF SPENCER: Sonics coach Bob Hill was asked his thoughts on Seattle great Spencer Haywood, who had his No. 24 jersey retired at halftime Monday.

"The best thing I can say about him is, had it been in vogue for high school guys to come out, he would have gone to the NBA," Hill said. "He was a special, special talent. He was an absolute total legend in Detroit."

LAYUPS: A fan behind the Blazers bench held up an old Nike poster featuring Dennis Johnson and Gus Williams, with "DJ & Gus" on the bottom. ... The Sonics wore black strips across the left top side of their jerseys honoring the late Johnson. ... Danny Fortson was on the inactive list and not in uniform. He has not played since Jan. 5 against the New York Knicks. ... With Maurice Lucas' No. 20 retired in Portland, newest Blazer Fred Jones is wearing No. 0.

-- Gary Washburn