Humiliating, embarrassing, whatever you want to call it, the Sonics' 52-point loss to the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center will go down as one of the low points in franchise history.
Denver's 168 points was a franchise high for points scored against the Sonics in one game, besting the previous record of 160 points set by Philadelphia on Dec. 20, 1967. The 52-point loss was Seattle's largest margin of defeat, breaking a record of 47 points set by Boston in a 139-92 victory over the Sonics on Nov. 20, 1968.
Denver's 168 points also was the fourth-highest point total in regulation in league history since the shot-clock era. The record-breaking numbers left Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo numb after the game.
"When you get beat that badly, there's no excuse for that," he said. "You just have to go back and work harder."
And it doesn't get any easier for the Sonics, with their next game at home against Phoenix, and then road contests at Los Angeles against the Lakers on Friday, and at Utah on Saturday.
Seattle has now lost eight straight, and 12 of its last 13 games.
"We just lost tonight. We lost by a lot," Seattle's Chris Wilcox said. "That's just something you're going to have to look back on. It's just something you're going to have to live with."
NUGGETS 168, SONICS 116: Eight players scored in double-figures for Denver as they pummeled Seattle, setting a franchise record for points scored in a game against Seattle. The Nuggets scored 84 points in each half, and shot 60.4 percent for the game.
