Golden State Dominates Sonics In Exhibition

SPOKANE - When Shawn Kemp, Dana Barros and Gary Payton broke away on a three-on-two fast break last in the fourth quarter, Kemp converted the layin, the Seattle SuperSonics gave their fans in the Spokane Coliseum a glimpse of the future.

But the Golden State Warriors owned the present last night, as they ripped the Sonics 134-111 in the NBA exhibition opener for both teams.

Before the game, most of the attention was focused on Seattle rookie Gary Payton, who signed a six-year contract worth just over $12 million Wednesday. But Golden State's six-foot-nine forward Tyrone Hill turned in the best performance by a newcomer.

Hill, the 11th player selected in the 1990 collegiate draft out of Xavier of Ohio, looked very solid scoring 11 points and collecting five rebounds in the first half, as the Warriors took a 77-53 lead into the locker room. The Warriors led 108-84 after three periods.

Hill, who finished the game with 14 points and nine rebounds, became one of 62 players to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds as a collegian, and was given credit for leading XU to the 1990 NCAA tournament's ``Sweet 16.''

``He did most of the major things we drafted him for,'' said Warrior Coach Don Nelson. ``But he made a lot of little mistakes that caused his teammates to work harder.''

Hill, like his coach, was happy to get his first NBA game over, but eager to get back to practice.

``I played pretty well,'' he said. ``I've still got things to work on. It just takes time.''

Perhaps Sonic Coach K.C. Jones used too many players last night. Sixteen of the 17 players on the roster played in the first half. Only free-agent Mike Giomi remained chained to the bench in the opening 24 minutes. And he was set free in the second half.

After starting the game with forwards Xavier McDaniel and Derrick McKey, guards Dale Ellis and Sedale Threatt and center Michael Cage, Jones substituted five players - Payton, Jim McPhee, Nate McMillan, Olden Polynice and Shawn Kemp - with 5:54 left in the first period and Golden State leading 16-10.

The Warriors, who stuck with four of their starters for most of the first half, outscored Seattle 26-15 over the rest of the period to lead 42-25 at the start of the second quarter.

While the Warriors made 23 of 37 field goal tries (62 percent) in the first half, the Sonics were able to convert but 19 of 40 attempts (47 percent).

``We got outhustled and they controlled the boards,'' said Jones. ``They came out banging and we didn't execute our offense very well. The good thing is we can look at the films and see what we have to work on.

``The way we turned the ball over in the first half set the tempo and they were hitting their shots.''

Chris Mullin led the Warriors with 21 points and McKey topped the Sonics with 21.

The same teams face off again Monday in the Oakland Coliseum.

-- NOTES: Alton Lister, former Seattle SuperSonic center who was traded to Golden State in 1989, was in street clothes for last night's game. He was sidelined by a hamstring pull suffered in practice the day before the game. . . . With nine exhibition games scheduled, this will be Seattle's busiest preseason since the Sonics played 10 no-counters before the start of 1971 campaign. Before the team's first two seasons (1967-68 and 1968-69), the Sonics played a dozen exhibition contests. Last season, Seattle went 2-5 in preseason play, losing its first five. . . . The Sonics arrived in Spokane aboard the BAC-111, a 29-pasenger jet they've chartered for the season. The team returned to Seattle's Boeing Field after the game. Center Michael Cage raved about the flight. ``A bus was waiting on the runway, so we went right to the hotel (for a meeting and a meal) from the plane,'' said Cage. ``If we keep the plane, I might play for another 20 years.'' . . . The Sonics' ``Slam Dunk Saturday,'' a two-hour promotional film, will air on KING TV (Channel 5) today immediately following the championship game of the McDonald's Open from Spain.