(My Sportsbook) - The ups and downs of the NBA season are starting early for the Seattle SuperSonics.

The Sonics began the season 8-2 and were leading the Pacific Division by a comfortable margin. However, the team has posted just one win in its last seven games and is now just one game above .500 (9-8) on the year.

Seattle's only win during the stretch was a 91-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs on November 24 in which the Sonics rallied from an 18-point, third- quarter deficit.

The Sonics' most recent setback came at home against Houston on Friday, 83-72. Seattle was outscored 32-11 in the third quarter and totaled just 26 points in the second half.

"Twenty-six points in the second half?" Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "We are a jump-shooting team. We have to learn to mix it up, attack the basket and not just rely on the perimeter game, because you just can't shoot the lights out every night."

Seattle shot just 38 percent from the floor, including hitting only 3-of-15 three-point attempts.

"We're shooting awful," said Seattle forward Rashard Lewis, who scored 18 points. "It just wasn't there for us tonight. No rhythm."

Gary Payton finished with 14 assists, but scored just 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting. On the plus side, Payton passed Fred Brown to become the franchise's all-time leader in regular season games played with 964.

But Payton is hardly the reason for Seattle's decline. "The Glove" has led the team in scoring in 11 games this season, including four of the last six, and is averaging team-bests of 20.9 points and 10.6 assists per game.

Friday's loss to the Rockets was preceded by a humiliating 117-99 loss at Memphis. Seattle shot 48 percent from the floor in that game, but allowed the Grizzlies to shoot 59 percent, raising concerns on the defensive end.

"It's just obvious that we're not playing good basketball right now," McMillan said. "We're not playing well on either end of the floor. The execution is not where it should be and it's showing in our play."

McMillan's Sonics play their next three games at KeyArena, where they are just 3-3 this season. But following the homestand, Seattle embarks on a five- game East Coast swing.