PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS DECEMBER 23, 1995 Home to the Garden --- The Portland Trail Blazers (11-13) return to the friendly confines of the Rose Garden looking to break out of a four-game losing streak, their longest of the season, when they host the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday. It will be the first visit to the Rose Garden for the Lakers who lost to the Blazers, 109-108, a month ago in the Forum. The Blazers are coming off an 0-2 invasion of Texas territory, losing to San Antonio and Houston by eight and five points respectively. The setbacks dropped the Blazers' road record to 3-8 and extended their string of losses away from home to four in a row, their longest of the year. The Blazers-Lakers Series --- Portland is behind in the all-time series between the two teams, 82-57, but has won three in a row and 11 of the last 13 matchups. The Trail Blazers have won six in a row from the Lakers in Portland, including both contests last season in Memorial Coliseum. Over the past quarter century, the Blazers have a 37-32 homecourt advantage in the series. Los Angeles last win on its visit north of the Oregon border happened on Nov. 27, 1992, when the Lakers flew home with a 98-90 decision. The Blazers' two wins over the Lakers in Portland last season were by the scores of 129-83, and 111-97. The former was Portland's biggest victory margin ever in the series and the worst loss in the history of the Lakers franchise. The last time they met --- James 'Hollywood' Robinson's three-pointer from the deep left corner as the game clock expired gave the Trail Blazers a 109-108 win in the Forum on Nov. 21. It put a dramatic finish to their first sweep of back-to-back games this season. Portland had defeated the Los Angeles Clippers the night before in Portland, 113-94. The Blazers led by one going into the final period but had to battle from behind for the win. Rod Strickland led Portland with 28 points, and 10 assists, and Clifford Robinson was a rebound and assist shy of his first- ever triple-double, finishing with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. The nine assists was a career high. James Robinson had a season-high 17 points for the night. Portland, for the second straight game, topped the 50 percent field goal mark, this time hitting at a .518 clip (44-85). The Lakers shot .488 (48-84). Chris Dudley had 15 rebounds to lead Portland but the Blazers were outrebounded, 41-39. Cedric Ceballos led the Lakers scoring parade with 38 points. Houston holds on for win --- Portland was outscored, 29-18, by Houston in the second quarter and trailed, 48-39, at halftime but battled back to within three late in the game before succumbing, 91-86, at the Summit Thursday. It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Blazers, and their fourth straight on the road. Both streaks are the longest thus far for Portland. Rod Strickland shared game scoring honors with Houston center Hakeem Olajuwaon; both finished with 30 points. The Blazers converted .434 of their shots from the field (33-76), slightly better than the Rockets effort of .403 (31-77). But Portland's free throw shooting dropped to a season's low .516 (16-31), while Houston was making .815 of its attempts from the line (22-27). The Blazers, led by guard Aaron McKie's nine rebounds, had a 46-42 advantage on the glass. Four in a row --- Portland's 91-86 setback at Houston Thursday was its fourth consecutive loss. That equalled the longest string of consecutive losses by a Blazers team in the past six seasons. The last time Portland lost more than four in a row was during the 1988-89 campaign when a six-game losing steak in March dropped the team's record to 32-38. That was the last time the Blazers have been more than one game below .500 beyond the fourth game of the season. Last year's club dropped below the .500 mark only once, at 6-7, on December 2. Among the leaders --- ROD STRICKLAND had just six assists to go with his 30 points against Houston Thursday. But he's dished out 60 assists in his last five outings, to give him a 24-game average of 9.5, second only to Utah's John Stockton among NBA leaders . . . . CHRIS DUDLEY has grabbed 65 rebounds in his last five games. He is averaging 10.4 boards a game, placing him 8th among the league's top rebounders . . .CLIFFORD ROBINSON, who leads the Blazers in scoring with a 23.0 ppg average, scored a season-low nine points against the Rockets Thursday, dropped to 12th among the league's leading scorers . . . Arvydas Sabonis is fifth in field goal percentage at .566 (90-159). Rod moves into third --- ROD STRICKLAND, with 60 assists in his last five games, has dished out 2,089 in three-plus seasons placing him third ahead of Geoff Petrie (2,057) on Portland's all-time assists list. He is one of only five Blazers ever to distribute 2,000 or more assists. The others are Terry Porter (5,319), Clyde Drexler (4,933), Petrie and Jim Paxson (2,007). In the last five games, Rod has averaged 12.0 assists in his last five games and is averaging 9.5 for the season, the second best mark in the NBA. Trail Blazing --- Seven of Portland's 13 setbacks have been by 5 points or less . . . Eight of the Blazers 11 wins have been by 6 points or more. Portland is 10-3 when leading going into the fourth quarter and 1-10 when tied or behind . . . It is 6-3 when holding the lead at halftime and 4-9 when trailing . . . The Blazers are 6-5 when leading after one quarter and 4-8 when behind . . . They are 8-5 when scoring more than 100 points and 5-2 when limiting their opponents to under 100 points . . . Portland is 6-6 against teams with better than .500 records and 5-7 with teams at .500 or under . . . The Blazers are averaging 101.1 points game and their opponents 101.2 ppg. On the Boards --- After outrebounding both San Antonio and Houston in the last two games, the Trail Blazers continue to climb the ladder among the league's top rebounding teams. Portland currently is fourth overall in rebounding percentage (.523), fifth in offensive rebounding (.329) and fifth in defensive rebounding (.716). Percentages are based on the number of its own misses a team retrieves at the offensive end, and the number of opponent misses it takes at the defensive end. The overall rebounding percentage is an average of the other two. Last year, the Blazers were league leaders in total rebound and defensive rebounding percentage (.553 and .735 respectively), and were second in offensive rebounding percentage (.371). Up and down --- After 24 games the Trail Blazers have shown improvement in accuracy from the field over last year, both from inside and outside the three-point arc. They are hitting at a .457 clip overall, up from the .451 mark in 82 games last year. The conversion rate from long range has also improved; As a team the Blazers are shooting .399 from three-point range, second best in the league. Last year, the Blazers' compiled a .365 three-point chart, the league's 16th highest. On the flip side, Portland continues to struggle at the free throw stripe. In Thursday's loss at Houston, the Blazers converted a season low .516 (16-31) from the line. In the two Texas games, they hit a combined 34-64 (531). Portland has been below the 60 percent mark 12 times and below the 70 percent level 18 times. For the season, Portland is shooting .624 at the line, the lowest in the league. DQ numbers --- Thirteen Blazers have been disqualified after being whistled for six fouls this season, the most of any team in the league. That compares with ten DQs in 82 games last year and a league-low five in 1993-94. Spurs override Blazers --- Portland had the lead for three quarters of the game at San Antonio but couldn't hold it as the Spurs rallied for a 111-103 win at the Alamodome Tuesday. It was the Blazers' third straight setback, their longest string of losses so far, and their eighth loss in the last nine trips to San Antonio. Portland jumped to a 33-26 first quarter lead, was up 58-52 at intermission and still had the lead, 93-92, with seven minutes remaining. David Robinson, who scored 10 of his game- high 31 points in the fourth quarter, sparked the Spurs comeback. Clifford Robinson topped Portland scoring with 25 points. The Blazers shot 46 percent from the field (39-85), slightly better than San Antonio's 43 percent chart (40-93). But Portland again sputtered at the line, converting 55 percent (18-33) while the Spurs were making 79 percent of their free throws (27-34). Portland, led by Chris Dudley's 14 boards, had the rebounding edge, 50-45. Shot down in the Garden --- The Washington Bullets shot 67 percent from the field in the second half, outscored the Blazers in each of the first three quarters and went on to a 112-100 victory in their first visit to the Rose Garden on Sunday. The loss was Portland's second in three days and snapped a five-game win streak over the Bullets. Clifford Robinson, coming off the bench for the first time this season, led Portland in scoring with 24 points, 22 of them in the second half. Arvydas Sabonis added 20 points to the Blazers cause and Rod Strickland had 18 points and 13 assists, his 12th double-double of the season. But it wasn't enough as the Bullets answered with all five starters in double figures including a season-high 25 points by Calbert Cheaney. Washington's 7-7 Rumanian center Gheorghe Muresan had a career best 17 rebounds to go with 18 points. Portland shot .379 (36-95) from the floor while the Bullets were fired at a .545 clip (48-88). P.J. --- P.J. Carlesimo begins his second season as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. Last year, Carlesimo guided Portland to a 44-38 record, the first coach in 25 years to have moved directly from college to a head coaching job in the pros and post a winning record in his first season. The last coach to make the successful jump in one season was Cotton Fitzsimmons, who went from Kansas State to Phoenix to guide the Suns to a 48-34 in 1970-71. Six of the next seven on the road --- After taking on the Lakers Saturday in the Rose Garden, the Blazers have a two-day break for Christmas then return to action with a back-to-back set, playing at Utah on Tuesday (6 p.m., KEX Radio) then at home Wednesday against the Boston Celtics (7 p.m., KEX Radio). Portland then embarks on a tough five-games-in-eight-nights road trip east with stops in Charlotte, Cleveland, New York, Boston and Milwaukee. Next home date for the Blazers is January 7 against Minnesota. CLIFFORD ROBINSON . . . . . vs. Houston Thursday: Season-low 9 points (2-7 fgs, 2-5 3pt., 3-4 fts), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 39 minutes . . . vs. San Antonio Tuesday: Team high 25 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 41 minutes before fouling out for the third time this season . . . vs. Washington Sunday: Team-high 24 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 36 minutes in his first non-start of the season . . . Just missed his first career triple-double with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists in the Nov. 21 win at the Lakers . . . Attempted a career high 19 free throws in Nov. 5 win over Utah . . .Had a career-high 6 three-pointers in 7 tries at Chicago Nov. 11 . Has topped Blazers in scoring 14 times . . . Has tallied 30 or more points in five games and 20 or more in 17 . . . Ranks 12th in the NBA in scoring with a 23.0 average . . . Is averaging 41.4 minutes in 24 games, second highest minutes per game in the league . . . One of two Blazers to play in all 24 games thus far . . . Second in the in NBA in three-pointers made with 70 and has connected for three or more in 14 of the 24 games and has at least one in 23 of the 24 . . . Is tied with Buck Williams for the longest current tenure with the Trail Blazers, playing his seventh season in a Portland uniform . . . Ranks in the Blazers' all-time top ten in 16 of 17 statistical categories, including 8th in games played, points and field goals made, and 3rd in three-point field goals made and attempted . . . Last game vs. Lakers: 16 points (6-16 fgs, 2-6 3pt., 2-2 fts), 9 assists, 1 block, 45 minutes. BUCK WILLIAMS . . . . . vs. Houston Thursday: 8 points (3-5 fgs, 3-8 fts), 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 22 minutes . . . vs. San Antonio Tuesday: 3 points, 8 rebounds, 23 minutes off the bench . . . vs. Washington Sunday: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 20 minutes in his second start of the season . . . vs. Vancouver last Friday: season-high 17 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist before fouling out, his first DQ of the season . . . His first FG in the Grizzlies game was his 2,000th as a Trail Blazer . . . vs. the Bulls Nov. 27: 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 21 minutes in his first action of the season . . . Was activated Nov. 27 after opening the season on the injured list with torn tendons in his left thumb in the first pre-season game Oct. 13 in Vancouver, missing the first 12 games this season . . . In his previous 14 years in the league, he missed only 26 of 1,148 games and only 23 of those because of injury . . . Only the eighth player in NBA history to record 12,000 career points and 15,000 rebounds . . . Last game vs. Lakers: On injured list (torn tendons, left thumb). ROD STRICKLAND . . . . . . vs. Houston Thursday: Team-high 30 points (11-20 fgs, 0-1 3pt., 8-12 fts), 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 rebound, 39 minutes. His season high was 32 against Houston on Dec. 10 . . . vs. San Antonio Tuesday: 15 points, season high equalling 14 assists, 7 rebounds, 1 block, 35 minutes---team-best 13th double-double of the season . . . vs. Washington Sunday: 18 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds, 37 minutes . . . vs. Vancouver last Friday: Game-high 29 points, game-high 13 assists, 48 minutes before fouling out for the first time this season and only the seventh time in nine years in the NBA . . . Just missed a triple- double with 18 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, vs. Milwaukee Nov. 30 . . . Had a game-high 24 points, 11 assists, in 38 minutes at Golden State Nov. 29. Scored 13 points and was 5 of 5 from the floor and 3 of 3 from three-point range in the game's first 12 minutes . . . Only Blazer to start all 24 games . . . In the last five games has averaged 24.2 points and 11.3 assists a game . . . Has averaged 12.0 assists in last five games . . . Has led Blazers in assists in all 24 games, is averaging 9.5 a game, ranking second in the NBA . . . Ranks seventh in the league among point guards with a 2.7 assists-to-turnovers ratio . . . He's one of only five Blazers to reach the 2,000 assists plateau . . . Has 2,089 assists, putting him third all-time in Portland . . . Last game vs. Lakers: Team-high 28 points (9-14 fgs, 0-1 3pt, 10-13 fts), 10 assists, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, 44 minutes. CHRIS DUDLEY . . . . . vs. Houston Thursday: 10 points (4-6 fgs, 2-4 fts), 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 25 minutes . . . vs. San Antonio Tuesday: 10 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 32 minutes---sixth double-double of the season . . . vs. Washington Sunday: Season-high 13 points, team- high 11 rebounds, 33 minutes before fouling out with 23 seconds remaining, his third DQ of the season . . . vs. Charlotte Thursday: 6 points, season-high 19 rebounds . . . Has averaged 13.0 rebounds in last five games . . . Leading Blazers rebounder in 16 of the 23 games he's played in . . . Ranks eighth in the league in rebounding with a 10.5 average . . . Had played in 103 consecutive games, the Blazers' longest consecutive streak, before sitting out the Dec. 10 game vs. Houston because of a bruised sternum suffered the night before in Seattle . . . Last game vs. Lakers: 12 points (6-9 fgs, 0-1 fts), team-high 15 rebounds, 4 blocked shots, 36 minutes. HARVEY GRANT . . . . . vs. Houston Thursday: 4 points (2-6 fgs, 0-2 fts), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 26 minutes . . . vs. San Antonio Tuesday: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 31 minutes . . . vs. Washington Sunday: scoreless, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 20 minutes . . . vs. Charlotte Thursday: 13 points, season-high 12 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, his first double-double of the season . . . vs. Houston Dec. 10: 14 points, 9 rebounds and a career-high 6 steals . . . vs. the Sonics Dec. 9: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 38 minutes off the bench in his first game back after being activated from the injured list. He missed five games with a sprained left mid-foot . . . Has started 14 games at small forward after beginning the season at guard . . . Last game vs. Lakers: 12 points (6-14 fgs), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 27 minutes. ARVYDAS SABONIS . . . . . Did not dress (back spasms) for either of the two games in Texas . . . vs. Washington Sunday: 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 22 minutes . . . Did not dress for the previous two games (lower back strain) . . . vs. Houston Dec. 10: 13 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, in an NBA career-high 39 minutes. Hit the game-winner, a hook shot following a rebound at the buzzer to beat the Rockets in double OT . . . at the Warriors Nov. 29: Had a perfect night from the floor while equalling his NBA career high of 23 points. Finished with 8-8 Fgs, 3-3 3pt., 4-4 Fts . . . Had an NBA career-high 16 rebounds versus Phoenix Nov. 18 . . . sixth in the league in field goal accuracy at .566 (90-159). . . Is averaging 13.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 23.6 minutes in 18 games . . . Has three double-doubles . . . Considered to be one of the best Europeans ever to play the game . . . Helped lead Lithuania to a silver medal in the 1995 European Championships in Athens, Greece, and a berth in the 1996 Olympic Games . . . Last game vs. Lakers: 2 points (1-6 fgs, 0-4 3pt.), 1 rebound, 14 minutes. AARON McKIE . . . . . vs. Houston Thursday: 5 points (2-8 fgs, 1-3 3pt.), team-high 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 28 minutes before fouling out with 9 seconds remaining in the game, his team-high fourth DQ of the season . . . vs. San Antonio Tuesday: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 28 minutes . . . vs. Washington Sunday: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 24 minutes . . . Equalled his season high with 19 points at Phoenix Nov. 18 . . . Has scored in double figures 14 times and has had 17 or more in seven of his last 16 . . . Returned to action wearing a facemask to protect a broken facial bone to play 18 minutes in the Nov. 5 win over Utah. Played his first game without the facemask against Orlando Dec. 3 . . . Broke the zygomatic arch under his left eye during fall camp practice on Oct. 25 . . . Last game vs. Lakers: 9 points (3-5 fgs, 3-3 fts), 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 22 minutes. JAMES ROBINSON . . . . . vs. Houston Thursday: 9 points (4-8 fgs, 1-4 3pt., 0-1 ft), 20 minutes . . . vs. San Antonio Tuesday: 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 20 minutes . . . vs. Washington Sunday: 5 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 21 minutes . . . vs. the Sonics Dec. 9: Season and game-high 19 points (6-15 Fgs, 3-9 3pt, 4-4 Fts), 3 assists, 20 minutes . . . Has connected on at least one three-pointer in 16 of 23 games . . . Missed entire preseason after suffering fracture of fourth metacarpal in his left hand in fall camp . . . Ranks 5th all-time in three- pointers with 126 and 6th in three-point attempts with 361 . . . Last game vs. Lakers: Season-high 17 points (7-12 fgs, 3-5 3pt.), 6 assists, 1 block, 0 turnovers, 27 minutes and game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. RANDOLPH CHILDRESS . . . . . vs. Houston Thursday: Scoreless (0-3 fgs), 2 rebounds, 9 minutes . . . vs. San Antonio Tuesday: 5 points, 2 assists, 20 minutes . . . vs. Washington Sunday: 2 points, 1 assist, 11 minutes . . . vs. the Magic Dec. 3: Career-high game of 18 points (5-8 Fgs, 4-6 3pt, 4-5 Fts), 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 27 minutes . . . His 5 points and 5 assists versus Utah Nov. 5, were the first of his pro career . . . Was acquired, along with forward Bill Curley, from the Detroit in exchange for Otis Thorpe . . . Was the Pistons' first round draft pick (19th overall) in 1995 draft . . . Last game vs. Lakers: Scoreless with 1 assist in 4 minutes. GARY TRENT . . . . . vs. Houston Thursday: 8 points (4-12 fgs), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 27 minutes . . . vs. San Antonio Tuesday: 11 points, 2 rebounds, 17 minutes . . . vs. Washington Sunday: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 16 minutes . . . vs. the Raptors Dec. 7: First ever double-double with career-high 15 points (6-18 Fgs, 3-5 Fts), and career and team-high 11 rebounds, in 32 minutes . . . Scored 12 points (6-8 Fgs)---his first points as a pro---in the Nov. 5 win over Utah . . . Started six games at small forward, scored in double figures eight times, and is averaging 7.3 ppg . . . Was acquired (along with a conditional 1996 first round draft pick) from Milwaukee in exchange for the draft rights to Shawn Respert . . . Was Milwaukee's 1st round pick (11th overall) in the 1995 Draft . . . Last game vs. Lakers: 11 points (5-7 fgs, 1-1 fts), 1 assist, 1 steal, 15 minutes. DONTONIO WINGFIELD . . . . . vs. Houston Thursday: 2 points (1-1 fgs), 1 rebound, 5 minutes . . . Did not play (coach's decision) in previous two games . . . Was signed as a free agent . . . Spent last season with the Seattle and averaged 2.3 points and 4.0 minutes in 20 games . . . Played one year of college ball at Cincinnati, where he averaged 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in 29 games . . . Last game vs. Lakers: Did not play (coach's decision). ANTHONY COOK . . . . . Did not play (coach's decision) in last nine games . . . Last appearance vs. Warriors Nov. 29: Scoreless in 2 minutes . . . Played with the Denver Nuggets from 1990-91 to 92-93, and with the Orlando Magic and Milwaukee Bucks in 1993-94 . . . Averaged 3.8 points and 4.0 rebounds with a .439 field goal percentage and a .531 free throw mark in 105 career NBA contests before joining the Blazers as a free agent. Last game vs. Lakers: 2 points (1-2 fgs), 1 rebound, 6 minutes. BILL CURLEY . . . . . Opened the season on the injured list, as he recovers from left ankle surgery performed Oct. 5 . . . The surgery removed a bone fragment . . . Was acquired from Detroit (along with the draft rights to Randolph Childress) in exchange for Otis Thorpe on Sept. 20 . . . Played in 53 games during his rookie campaign at Detroit and averaged 2.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 11.2 minutes per game. Please direct any comments or questions to: John Christensen, Communications Director, Portland Trail Blazers at johnc@blazers.com.