TOKYO (Ticker) -- Rashard Lewis might ask if the Seattle SuperSonics can stay in Japan.
Lewis scored a career-high 50 points to lead the SuperSonics to a 124-105 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers and a sweep of their two-game set in Japan.
After scoring 25 points to lead Seattle in the opener, Lewis became the first Sonic to score 50 since Dale Ellis tallied 53 in 1989. Fred Brown and Spencer Haywood are the only other Sonics to hit the half-century mark.
Lewis broke Clyde Drexler's 1994 Japan Games record of 41 points. He shot 18-of-25 from the field to lead a Seattle attack that connected on 53.5 percent (46-of-86).
"I wasn't taking bad shots," Lewis said. "Just taking open jumpers."
To reach 50, Lewis hit a 3-pointer from the side with 2:18 left that made it 119-98. He left the game shortly after that to cheers from the Japanese crowd.
In the third quarter, Lewis made a layup with 5:14 left, then converted a free throw after Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy was charged with a technical foul. That gave Lewis 38 points to eclipse his previous career high and capped a 12-0 run that made it 83-69.
Earlier in the run, Lewis had a monstrous dunk over former Sonic Predrag Drobnjak, finishing a fast break that started with a brilliant flip pass from Brent Barry to Ronald Murray. After Murray dribbled up the floor, he found Lewis, who powered his way through to the hoop.
Lewis scored 15 points in the first quarter, 11 in the second, 12 in the third and 12 in the fourth. He addressed the fans at the Saitama Super Arena after the game in Japanese, saying, "Thank you, Saitama. Japanese fans are the best. Goodbye."
In the performance of his career, Lewis also had eight rebounds, four assists and did not commit a turnover.
"I am one of the go-to guys on this team," Lewis said. "That comes down to making good decisions."
While Ray Allen recovers from knee surgery, Murray is another one of Seattle's most important cogs. Murray, who scored a career-high 24 points in the opener, collected 22 and seven assists.
A product of Division II Shaw University, Murray broke into the league last season with the Bucks and came to the Sonics in a trade. In 14 games between the teams, he scored a total of 27 points.
In addition to Lewis' explosion and Murray's performance, Barry also had a solid game with 14 points and seven assists. Rookie Luke Ridnour added 10 points and six assists off the bench.
Corey Maggette scored 26 points for Los Angeles, which shot 40 percent (36-of-89).
Chris Wilcox scored 10 points and grabbed eight boards in his fourth career start as he replaced the injured Elton Brand, who will miss four to six weeks with the foot fracture he suffered in the opener.
In the third quarter, Barry went crashing into the first row of seats trying to save the ball from going out of bounds, knocking over a female fan. He helped her up, then jokingly tried to walk away with her purse before returning it.
