CLIPPERS DROP FIRST AT HOME THIS SEASON LEWIS, ALLEN LIFT SEATTLE TO WIN AT STAPLES CENTER SEATTLE 95, CLIPPERS 85.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

Rashard Lewis had 35 points and 13 rebounds, Ray Allen scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, and the Seattle SuperSonics dealt the Clippers their first home loss of the season with a 95-85 victory Wednesday night.

Reserve forward Tim Thomas scored 15 points for the Clippers, who won their first six games at Staples Center to set a franchise record for the fastest start at home. They were the road team in Tuesday's 105-101 loss to the Lakers.

Elton Brand had 16 rebounds and seven points, and Chris Kaman had 14 rebounds and 12 points.

The Clippers, who never led, got as close as 75-72 on Brand's 15-footer with 8:13 left.

But Allen responded with a 3-pointer on Seattle's next possession, triggering a 16-7 run that put the Sonics ahead 91-79 with 2:37 left to equal their biggest lead. Lewis helped spark the spurt with eight points.

Thomas, who had a 13-point third quarter, opened the second half with a pair of 3s a minute apart to pull Los Angeles into a 49-all tie. But the Sonics scored the next nine points and restored their double-digit lead on Lewis' three-point play with 7:17 left in the third quarter.

Giving Livingston a shot: At first glance, Mike Dunleavy's decision to bench Sam Cassell for most of crunch time in the Clippers' loss to the Lakers might look like the coach made a major mistake. Cassell is the team's best clutch shooter, the team's most experienced player and a wily point guard who typically makes good decisions.

Dunleavy's move, however, also showed that he is not afraid to give key minutes to up-and-coming point guard Shaun Livingston, who had one of his best quarters of the season when he scored seven points in the fourth quarter and was strong defensively.

The 21-year-old showed scoring that he hadn't for a while. In the team's previous three games, he scored a total of six points. So now the question with Livingston is why he can't play so effectively all the time.

``Part of it is development,'' Dunleavy said. ``Part of it is confidence. I think all players, all ages, all people in professions basically perform better when they're feeling confident with what they're doing. In sports, that tends to go up and down more than other occupations, and different guys go through longer or shorter periods of time that they're affected by it.''

Cassell moves on: If Cassell were upset with is spotty playing time in the fourth quarter against the Lakers, then he didn't let those feelings out by second-guessing his coach.

``I just play the game,'' Cassell said. ``I don't make coaching decisions of who plays. I can't control playing time. Mike made his decision not to put me back in the game. It happens sometimes. Coaching is a momentum game. I don't know.''

-- Joe Stevens

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Seattle's Ray Allen shoots a 3-pointer over the Clippers' Quinton Ross on Wednesday.

Jeff Lewis/Associated Press