LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The Seattle SuperSonics opened and closed their season with wins over the Los Angeles Clippers. In between, there were few other highlights.
Ray Allen scored 26 points as the SuperSonics completed their worst season in 18 years with a 118-87 rout of the Clippers.
Seattle (37-45) opened the campaign with a pair of wins vs. the Clippers in Japan, highlighted by a 50-point performance from Rashard Lewis. The SuperSonics did get off to a decent start, winning six of their first eight games, and hovered around .500 until early February when guard Brent Barry was out with a hand injury.
Barry came back from the injury and Seattle reeled off seven straight wins in March. But facing several quality opponents down the stretch, the SuperSonics wilted, dropping seven of their final 10 games to miss the playoffs for the fourth time in six seasons.
"We got to get consistent playing," said Allen, who missed the first 25 games recovering from right ankle surgery. "We lost a lot of games that we possibly were the better team. We just need the consistent effort from everybody every night.
"We did what we wanted to do as far as this game is concerned. What we are experiencing (by missing the playoffs) hasn't really sunk in yet. In a week when we are at home watching other teams still playing basketball, then it will sink in and I'll be frustrated."
Seattle, which finished with its worst record since going 31-51 in 1985-86, won its sixth in row over Los Angeles. The SuperSonics built a 65-41 advantage at halftime and led by as many as 31 points en route to their most lopsided win of the season.
"I'll be looking at the draft and free agency," Seattle coach Nate McMillan said. "I'll be looking at the playoffs very closely at those teams and players that are available. I'll reflect on the season, the players and what we tried to do at the beginning of the season."
For the Clippers (28-54), highlights were even more scarce. They dropped 14 of their last 15 games to finish with the worst record in the Western Conference.
The Clippers were 22-25 following a nine-point win in Boston on February 4. But they went just 6-29 the rest of the way and endured a 13-game losing streak that was snapped Tuesday in Phoenix.
Bobby Simmons scored a career-high 24 points for Los Angeles, which won 27 games last season and missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season.
"I think we need something other than draft picks," Clippers guard Quentin Richardson said. "We've been getting draft picks for so many years. I think we need players that have been battle-tested and have proven they can play in this league already. A center or a proven point guard would be my choice."
Los Angeles lost at least 50 games for the fourth time in five seasons and injuries were a major reason. Richardson, Elton Brand and leading scorer Corey Maggette all missed at least 10 games.
"We went through a bunch of injuries and played only 36 games with our starting lineup," Los Angeles coach Mike Dunleavy said. "Plus the way that we ended our season with so many injuries was really tough. I felt that we would have been much better without the injuries."
