PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS vs. PHOENIX SUNS JANUARY 19, 1996 Taking on the Suns --- The Trail Blazers (18-19), will be looking to extend their homecourt winning streak to a season-best five games at the expense of the Phoenix Suns tonight in the Rose Garden. After last night's five-point loss at Sacramento, the Blazers will also be out to climb back even at .500 and at the same time put an end to a six-game Phoenix series win streak that includes three straight in Portland. Friday is the middle date of a three-games-four-days challenge for the Blazers who are at home Sunday to host Cleveland. Saturday's probable starters --- (F) 44 HARVEY GRANT, 6-9, 9.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg; (F) 52 BUCK WILLIAMS, 6-8, 7.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg; (C) 24 CHRIS DUDLEY, 6-11, 5.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg; (G) 23 AARON MCKIE, 6-5, 11.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg; (G) 26 JAMES ROBINSON, 6-2, 8.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.9 rpg. Rod, Clifford out --- Portland's two top scorers---Clifford Robinson and Rod Strickland---both missed last night's game in Sacramento because of injuries sustained in Tuesday's contest with Denver. Strickland will also sit out tonight's action and Robinson's availability will be a game-time decision. Robinson, the league's No. 6 scorer with a 23.7 average, severely sprained his ankle. Strickland suffered a ruptured blood vessel in his left eye when hit by an errant pass. His situation will be re- evaluated by team doctors before Sunday's home contest against Cleveland. Strickland has been averaging 20.1 points a game and ranked second in the league in assists (9.6). Guard Aaron McKie had three stitches taken over his right eye after being involved in a collision in the Tuesday game but started against Sacramento and led Blazers in scoring with 18 points. Ironically, all three injuries occurred within a four minute span in the third quarter of the Nuggets contest. Roster moves --- Guard RANDOLPH CHILDRESS underwent surgery on his left shoulder Jan. 9 and has been placed on the injured list by the Trail Blazers. He suffered a torn anterior capsule and labrum of the left shoulder in Portland's Dec. 30 game at Cleveland. On Jan. 10, the Blazers signed free agents RUMEAL ROBINSON and ELMORE SPENCER. Robinson, a 6-2 guard, played four seasons in the NBA with Atlanta, New Jersey and Charlotte, and has been the CBA's fourth leading scorer at Connecticut this season. Spencer, a 7-0 center, played three seasons for the LA Clippers and was released earlier this season by Denver. The all-time series --- Portland trails in its all-time series with Phoenix, 77-45, and has lost six straight and 11 of its last 13, including the 107- 102 decision earlier this season in the Valley of the Sun. Phoenix won on all three of its visits to Portland last year and swept the five-game season series for the first time since 1979-80. The Blazers, whose last win over the Suns at home was on April 15, 1994 (135-113), hold a 44-24 homecourt advantage in the series. In games played in Phoenix, Portland's record is 18-52. The last time they met --- The Trail Blazers' jinx in Phoenix continued as the Suns held off a Portland comeback to win, 107-102. It was Portland's ninth straight loss in Phoenix and the 12th in the last 13 visits. The Blazers built a 55-51 halftime lead but were outscored by the Suns, 31- 24, in the third panel. Clifford Robinson led Portland with 30 points (his fifth 30-plus effort in nine games), but missed a three-point attempt with 7.4 seconds remaining that could have sent the game into overtime. Arvydas Sabonis had a big game for the Blazers, coming off the bench to score 17 points and corral 16 rebounds in 29 minutes of play. Both teams shot 43 percent from the field and both teams committed season-low turnovers (12 by Portland, 9 by the Suns). The Blazers had a 51-46 rebounding edge. Kevin Johnson led Phoenix scoring with 26 points. Kings edge Blazers ---Portland, playing without Clifford Robinson and Rod Strickland, fell behind early, caught up and played the Sacramento Kings on even terms for three quarters before going down, 105-100, last night in ARCO Arena. The loss snapped the Blazers four-game winning streak and was the second straight and the fourth in five games against Sacramento. After the Kings built a 32-19 bulge after one quarter, the Blazers rallied to within one, 49-48, at intermission. The lead changed hands 14 times in the second half before the Kings took command with 5 minutes remaining in the game. Portland's last lead was 86-84, with 5:24 on the clock. Aaron McKie led six Blazers in double figure scoring with 18 points. Mitch Richmond had a game-high 38 points for Sacramento, including a perfect 15-of-15 from the line. Portland outshot the Kings from the floor, .453 (39-86) to .439 (36-82), but made just 16 of 25 at the line (.640), compared with 29 of 32 (.906) by Sacramento. Portland had a 46- 40 rebounding edge, including a season-high equalling 23 on the offensive glass. Among the leaders --- CLIFFORD ROBINSON'S 23.7 points per game average places him sixth among NBA scoring leaders and his 40.9 minutes per game is No. 4 in the league ... ROD STRICKLAND is averaging 9.6 assists a game, second best in the NBA behind John Stockton, his 20.1 ppg scoring average ranks him 22nd in the league, and his 38.8 minutes per game average is 12th highest ... ARVYDAS SABONIS is among the top 10 field goal shooters in the league at .565 (153-271). Robinson in AT&T Shootout --- CLIFFORD ROBINSON, the NBA leader in three-point field goals with 111 and 19th in three-point accuracy at .440, has been selected to compete in the AT&T Shootout on Feb. 10, during the NBA All-Star Weekend in San Antonio. He will be going against defending champion Glen Rice of Charlotte. Others in the field include Dana Baros, Boston; Hubert Davis, New York; Steve Kerr, Chicago; Tim Legler, Washington; George McCloud, Dallas, and Dennis Scott, Orlando. Sabonis selected for Schick Rookie Game --- Arvydas Sabonis, the Blazers' 7-foot-3 center from Lithuania, has been selected to play in the Schick Rookie Game during NBA All-Star Weekend in San Antonio on Feb. 10. Sabonis, who ranks fifth among NBA rookies in scoring (14.1 ppg) and second in rebounding (7.1 rpg) while averaging 23.4 minutes, is among 16 first-year players who will participate in the contest which will be divided into two 15 minute halves. Sabonis will be a member of the West team that also includes Joe Smith of Golden State; Michael Finley, Phoenix; Kevin Garnett, Minnesota; Antonio McDyess, Denver; Bryant Reeves, Vancouver; Brent Barry, LA Clippers, and Tyus Edney, Sacramento. Strickland off to best start --- Point guard Rod Strickland is off to the best start of his career. After 36 games, Rod is averaging 9.6 assists per contests, second only to Utah's John Stockton, and is scoring at a 20.1 per game clip, second on the team to Clifford Robinson. Rod's best year for assists up to this season was 1993-94 when he averaged 9.0 apg in 82 games for the Blazers. His best scoring was done last year when he averaged 18.9 ppg in 64 outings. He's been the Blazers' leading assists man in all but one of the 36 games, has been in double figures 19 times and has had 16 or more in three of his last 10 games. Strickland has topped the Blazers 13 times in scoring and has tallied 20-plus games on 19 occasions, including twice topping the 30-point mark. Clifford from long-range --- Clifford Robinson, who connected on all five of his three-point attempts in the second half Tuesday against Denver and finished 5 of 7 for the game, leads the NBA with 111 treys and ranks 13th in the league in three-point accuracy at .440 (111-252). In the two- game set with Denver, Clifford was 8-12 from beyond the arc. His five three-pointers Tuesday, which tied an all-time club record for a half, marked the sixth time this season he's connected for five or more. He's cashed in on three or more triples in 24 contests thus far and has a string of 30 games with at least one make and has made one or more in 34 of the 35 games this season. And, his .440 three-point accuracy is slightly better than his overall shooting (.431). The Sabonis Story --- Arvydas Sabonis, Portland's 7-foot-3 rookie center from Lithuania, has been named 1995 European Player of the Year by the Italian weekly Gazetto Dello Sport. Sabonis, considered to be one of the best European players ever, led Club Real Madrid of Spain to the 1995 European Men's Club Championships and helped Lithuania take a Silver Medal in the European Championships before joining the Blazers in September. The most recent honor was based on a poll of European managers, players, coaches and writers ... Add Sabonis: With 422 points in 30 games through Thursday, he is the highest scoring Blazers rookie since Clifford Robinson tallied 746 points in 82 games in 1989-90. Last season, Aaron McKie scored 293 points in 45 outings, and James Robinson had 276 in 58 games in 1993-94. Geoff Petrie is the all- time rookie leader, scoring 2,031 points in 82 games in 1970-71. Trail Blazing --- Eleven of Portland's 19 setbacks have been by 5 points or less ... 12 of the Blazers 18 wins have been by 6 points or more ... The Blazers are 4-6 in games decided by three points or less, but 4-1 when the final margin is two points or under ... Portland is 17-4 when leading going into the fourth quarter and 1-15 when tied or behind ... It is 13-6 when holding the lead at halftime and 4-12 when trailing ... The Blazers are 12-9 when leading after one quarter and 5-10 when behind . . They are 13-8 when scoring more than 100 points and 8-2 when limiting opponents to under 100 points ... Portland is 8-10 against teams with better than .500 records and 10-9 with teams at .500 or under ... Portland is 9-4 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field and 9-4 when keeping opponents at 43 percent or under ... The Blazers are averaging 102.8 ppg (10th highest in the league) to their opponents' 101.9 ... Portland is 3-5 in Pacific Division action thus far, including a 1-2 in intra-division games at home ... The Blazers are 9-10 overall in Western Conference matchups and 5-3 in conference games at home . . The Blazers' overtime win at Boston on Jan. 3 was its fifth this season, one more than their total of four extra session games in the two previous seasons combined. All about shooting --- Portland's .590 field goal shooting effort at Denver Saturday, its best of the season, was the 13th time this season the Blazers have topped the .500 mark from the field ... Portland is shooting .461 from the floor thus far in the season, 10 percentage points better than last year's 82-game mark ... The Blazers have made more three- pointers than any team in the league thus far (254) and their .401 percentage from beyond the arc ranks second in the NBA ... The Blazers converted .560 of their free throws Tuesday versus Denver. It was the 17th time this season the team has been under the 60 percent mark at the charity stripe where it ranks 29th in the league with a .633 percentage. Back-to-back --- Tonight's game closes out the 10th of 19 back-to-back sets of games (games played on consecutive nights) on the Blazers' 1995-96 schedule. After last night's loss at Sacramento, Portland is 9-10 overall in back-to-back combos. The Blazers have a 4-5 record in second-night engagements, including a 2-1 mark when the finisher is on the home maple. Attendance league's fourth best --- The Blazers had 20,126 fans on hand for Tuesday's win over Denver. That put Portland's 18-game average in the Rose Garden at 20,876, fourth highest in the league behind Charlotte, Chicago and Toronto. To put attendance in the spacious new Rose Garden in perspective, the Blazers attendance for its first 18 games this season---375,763---exceeds the total home crowd count in any of the franchise's first four seasons from 1970-71 through 1973-74. Blazers dull Denver scoring --- The Trail Blazers limited Denver to a franchise low point total as they stopped the Nuggets, 87-69, Tuesday in the Rose Garden for their season-best fourth win in a row and their sixth in the last seven outings. The victory was the second in three days over the Nuggets and the 10th in the last 11 meetings between the two teams. Clifford Robinson led all scorers with 24 points and tied a team record by converting all five of his shots from beyond the arc in the second half. Arvydas Sabonis again came off the bench to give the Blazers a big lift with 15 points and 15 rebounds in 26 minutes. Rod Strickland chipped in with 17 points and turned in a huge defensive effort on Denver's leading scorer, Mahmoud Abdul-Rouf, who was limited to a season-low two points The Blazers pounded out a 56-30 rebounding advantage and shot .447 from the field (34-74) while holding Denver to a season-low .378 percentage (28-74). Holding off the Nuggets --- Portland turned in its best first half of the season Saturday, leading Denver at intermission, 71-51, but then had to hold off a furious fourth quarter Nuggets rush to escape McNichols Arena with a 118-117 win. The Blazers shot a season-high .590 (46-78) from the floor for the game two nights after registering a season-low .342 effort in the 90-89 win over Miami. The Blazers shot 67 percent from the field in running up their highest first half point total of the season. But Denver came back with a huge fourth quarter, outscoring Portland 40-24, including a 26-10 run in the game's final 5:25. Rod Strickland, who led the Blazers with 26 points and 16 assists, hit two key free throws in the final seconds, and Arvydas Sabonis, who finished with 22 points, put the game away with a defensive rebound and a foul shot with six seconds remaining. Denver, led by Dale Ellis' 26 points, fired at a .524 clip from the floor for the night (44-84). P.J. --- P.J. Carlesimo is in 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. Hosting the Cavs --- After Friday's time with the Suns, stay home to host Cleveland (6 p.m., KEX Radio) in the Rose Garden before heading out on a three-game road swing with stops at Utah on Tuesday (7:30 p.m., KEX Radio, KGW-TV), San Antonio on Friday (6:30 p.m., KEX Radio, KGW-TV) and Dallas on Saturday (5:30 p.m., KEX Radio, KGW- TV). CLIFFORD ROBINSON ..... Suffered a severely sprained left ankle in Tuesday's Denver game and was not with team at Sacramento last night ... vs. Denver Tuesday: Game-high 24 points (7-13 fg, 5-7 3pt, 5-6 ft), 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 36 minutes---scored 20 of his points in the second half, including 5-of-5 from long range, tieing a club record for makes in a half ... vs. Denver Saturday: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 43 minutes ... Selected NBA Player of the Week for week ending Jan. 7 after scoring a career- high 41 points versus Minnesota on Jan. 7 to cap a four-game string in which he averaged 28.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 2.8 assists and shot 48 percent from the field to lead the Blazers to three wins. It was the first Player of the Week honor for Robinson ... had 26 points, including 6 treys in the Dec. 29 loss at Charlotte ... 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 ... Has topped Blazers in scoring 21 times ... Has tallied 30 or more points seven times and 20 or more 28 times ... Ranks sixth in the NBA in scoring with a 23.7 average ... Is averaging 40.9 minutes in 36 games, fourth highest minutes per game in the league ... Leads the in NBA in three-pointers made with 111, has connected for five or more in six games, four or more in 12, three or more in 24 and has swished at least one trey in 30 straight games and in 34 of 35 this season ... Ranks 19th in the league in three-point percentage (.433) ... Is tied with Buck Williams for the longest current tenure with the Trail Blazers, playing his seventh season in Portland ... was team's current leader in consecutive games played at 59 before missing last night's contest at Sacramento ... Has played all but eight of 529 games in his NBA career, including a Blazers record 461 straight ... Has moved into second place on the Blazers' all-time blocked shots list with 624, ahead of Jerome Kersey (621) ... Ranks in the Blazers' all-time top ten in 16 of 17 statistical categories ... Last game vs. Phoenix: Game-high 30 ponts (11-28 fgs, 4-14 3pt, 4-6 fts), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 37 minutes. ROD STRICKLAND ..... . Did not travel with team to Sacramento (broken blood vessel, left eye, suffered in Tuesday's Denver game and will not dress for tonight's game with Phoenix ... vs. Denver Tuesday: 17 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 34 minutes ... vs. Denver Saturday: Team-high 26 points, game-high 16 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, 37 minutes---his team-best 19th double-double of the season ... Had season-high 18 assists along with game-high 27 points while playing 48 minutes in the OT win at Boston Jan. 3 ... Played a career-high 50 minutes while leading the team in scoring with 22 points in the Dec. 30 OT loss at Cleveland ... Scored a team-high 30 points at Houston Dec. 21 after having a season high 32 against the Rockets on Dec. 10 ... Game-high 29 points and 13 assists in 48 minutes at Vancouver Dec. 15 before fouling out for the first time this season and only the seventh time in nine years in the NBA ... Twice has come up just 2 rebounds shy of triple-doubles this season (Jan. 3 at Boston and Nov. 30 vs. Milwaukee) . Had a game-high 24 points, 11 assists, in 38 minutes at Golden State Nov. 29, scoring 13 points and going 5 of 5 from the floor and 3 of 3 from three-point range in the game's first 12 minutes ... Started 34 of the team's 36 games ... Ranks 12th in the NBA in minutes played with a 38.8 average ... Has led Blazers in assists in 35 games and in scoring 13 times ... Has contributed 12 or more assists in 11 games ... is averaging 9.6 assists a game, second in the NBA ... Has 2,203 assists, third all-time in Portland ... Last game vs. Phoenix: 10 points (4-14 fgs, 0-2 3pt, 2-4 fts), 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 39 minutes. BUCK WILLIAMS ..... vs. Sacramento Thursday: 10 points (3-4 fgs, 4- 4 fts), 7 rebounds, 1 block, 28 minutes in his third start of the season ... .vs. Denver Tuesday: 8 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 27 minutes . ... vs. Denver Saturday: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 21 minutes ... vs. the Heat Wednesday: Season high-equalling 17 points, game and season-high 15 rebounds, 2 blocks, 28 minutes ... Scored a season-high 17 points at Vancouver Dec. 15 before fouling out, his first DQ of the season ... Saw his first action of the season versus Chicago Nov. 27 ... 0ne of the league's all-time leaders in field goal percentage, he's back on track in his last four games, converting 17 of 26 shots for a .654 mark ... 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 ... Has passed the 8,000 defensive rebound plateau in his NBA career (8,020) . . . Last game vs. Phoenix: Did not play (injured list, torn tendons, left thumb). CHRIS DUDLEY ..... vs. Sacramento Thursday: 9 points (4-6 fgs, 1-2 fts), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 24 minutes ... vs. Denver Tuesday: 3 points, 6 rebounds, 22 minutes ... vs. Denver Saturday: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 18 minutes ... vs. the Heat Wednesday: 4 points, 6 rebounds and a key block of an Alonzo Mourning shot at the buzzer to preserve the Blazers one-point victory ... Scored a season-high 13 points and had team-high 11 rebounds in 33 minutes vs. Washington Dec. 17 before fouling out with 23 seconds remaining, his third DQ of the season ... Season-high 19 rebounds versus Charlotte Dec. 14 ... Leading Blazers rebounder in 22 of the 36 games he's played in ... Has grabbed 12 or more rebounds in 12 games ... Ranks in top 20 in the league in rebounding with a 9.8 average ... Had played in 103 consecutive games, the Blazers' longest streak, before sitting out the Dec. 10 game vs. Houston with a bruised sternum suffered the night before in Seattle ... Last game vs. Phoenix: 4 points (4-6 fts), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 23 minutes. ARVYDAS SABONIS ..... vs. Sacramento Thursday: 15 points (4-12 fgs, 1-2 3pt, 6-10 fts), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 24 minutes ... vs. Denver Tuesday: 15 points, game-high 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 26 minutes---his fifth double-double of the season ... vs. Denver Saturday: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocked shots, 24 minutes and game-clinching free throw with 6 seconds remaining ... Had game-tieing tip-in with 5 seconds remaining that setup up Portland's 90-89 victory over Miami ... Scored an NBA career-high 24 points and had 10 rebounds Jan. 3 at Boston, including 2 free throws to ice the victory in OT ... Scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in an NBA career-high 39 minutes versus Houston Dec. 10, hitting the game-winner at the buzzer to beat the Rockets in double OT ... Had a perfect night from the floor at Golden State Nov. 29, making all eight field goals, all three three- pointers, and all four free throws for a total of 23 points ... . Had a career-high 16 rebounds at Phoenix Nov. 18 ... Scored in double figures 24 times in 30 games and has had 20 or more in seven games ... Fifth in scoring (14.1 ppg) and second in rebounding (7.1 rpg) among the league's rookies ... Is among the league leaders in field goal accuracy at .565 (153-271) ... Led Real Madrid to the 1995 European Men's Club title and helped Lithuania gain a Silver Medal in the 1995 European Championships ... Last game vs. Phoenix: 17 points (5-8 fgs, 1-2 3pt, 6- 8 fts), game and NBA career-high 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 29 minutes. HARVEY GRANT ..... vs. Sacramento Thursday: 8 points (4-13 fgs, 0- 2 fts), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 41 minutes ... vs. Denver Tuesday: 6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 41 minutes ... vs. Denver Saturday: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 28 minutes ... Scored 14 points versus the Lakers Dec. 23 before fouling out for the first time this season ... vs. Had a season-high 12 rebounds along with 13 points versus Charlotte Dec. 14 for his first double-double of the season ... Came up with a career-high six steals plus 14 points and 9 rebounds in the Dec. 10 win over Houston ... Missed five games in December with a sprained left foot ... Last game vs. Phoenix: 14 points (6-11 fgs, 2-2 fts), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 31 minutes. JAMES ROBINSON ..... vs. Sacramento Thursday: 13 points (3-13 fgs, 2-8 3pt, 5-6 fts), team-high 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 29 minutes in his third start of the season ... vs. Denver Tuesday: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 19 minutes ... vs. Denver Saturday: 13 points, 1 assist, 1 block, 26 minutes ... Had a career-high 4 steals along with 18 points in 29 minutes in the Jan. 7 win over the Wolves ... Had a season- high 6 rebounds at Milwaukee Jan. 5 ... Tallied a season and game-high 19 points at Seattle Dec. 9 ... . Scored 17 points including game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer at the Lakers Nov. 21 ... Has connected on at least one trey in 27 of 36 games ... Has scored in double figures 14 times ... Missed entire preseason after suffering fracture of fourth metacarpal in his left hand in fall camp ... Last game vs. Phoenix: Scoreless with 2 assists, 13 minutes. AARON McKIE ..... vs. Sacramento Thursday: Team-high 18 points (9-17 fgs, 0-1 3pt, 0-1 fts), team-high 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 38 minutes ... vs. Denver Tuesday: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 25 minutes ... vs. Denver Saturday: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 32 minutes ... vs. the Knicks Jan. 2: Career-high equalling 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, in 35 minutes at New York Jan. 2 for his best game of the season ... Has scored in double figures 19 times and has had 17 or more in 11 of his last 27 ... Team leader in rebounding twice ... Current Blazers leader in consecutive games played with 36... Broke the zygomatic arch under his left eye during fall camp practice on Oct. 25 ... Returned to action wearing a facemask Nov. 5 and played his first game without it on Orlando Dec. 3 . Last game vs. Phoenix: 19 points (9-16 fgs, 0-1 3pt, 1-2 fts), 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 35 minutes. GARY TRENT ..... vs. Sacramento Thursday: 12 points (6-9 fgs), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 17 minutes ... vs. Denver Tuesday: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 9 minutes ... vs. Denver Saturday: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 13 minutes ... vs. the Heat Wednesday: 1 point, 1 rebound, 14 minutes ... Scored a career-high 19 points (6-12 fgs, 7-10 fts) in 24 minutes versus Boston Dec. 27 ... Registered his first-ever double-double with a career and team-high 11 rebounds plus 15 points against Toronto on Dec. 7 ... 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 and has scored in double figures in 12 of his 28 appearances ... 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. Phoenix: 1 point (0-1 fgs, 1-2 fts), 2 rebounds, 11 minutes. DONTONIO WINGFIELD ..... vs. Sacramento Thursday: 5 points (2-6 fgs, 1-3 3pt), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals in 20 minutes, the most since Nov. 7 ... Did not play (coach's decision) in last three games ... Started three games at forward to start the season ... Was signed as a free agent ... Spent last year with the Seattle and averaged 2.3 points and 4.0 minutes in 20 games ... Played one year of college ball at Cincinnati. Last game vs. Phoenix: Did not play (coach's decision). RUMEAL ROBINSON ..... vs. Sacramento Thursday: 10 points (4-6 fgs, 2-3 3pt), 2 assists, 1 rebound, 19 minutes ... vs. Denver Tuesday: scoreless in 1 minute in his first appearance in a Blazers uniform ... Did not play (coach's decision) in previous two games ... Signed as a free agent with the Blazers on Jan. 10 ... A 1st round draft choice by Atlanta (10th overall) in 1990, he played four seasons in the NBA with Atlanta, New Jersey and Charlotte, averaging 8.9 points and 4.0 assists a game . The last two season's he's averaged 20.2 ppg in 37 contests in the Continental Basketball League, playing for Rapid City, Shreveport and Connecticut. He was Connecticut's leading scorer and fourth ranked in the CBA with a 22.9 ppg average before signing with Portland ... Led Michigan in scoring in 1990 as was a key player in the Wolverine's run for the 1989 NCAA Championship. ELMORE SPENCER ... . (coach's decision) in last four games ... Signed as a free agent with the Blazers Wednesday ... Drafted in the 1st round (25th pick overall) by the Los Angeles Clippers in 1992, and played three seasons with the Clippers before being traded to Denver for Brian Williams before the start of the current season ... He was released by the Nuggets on Dec. 21 after appearing in six games ... Has played in 145 NBA games, averaging 6.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, while shooting 52 percent from the field ... All-American honorable mention as a senior at UNLV. RANDOLPH CHILDRESS ..... Underwent surgery on his left shoulder Jan. 9 to repair a torn anterior capsule and labrum and was placed on the injured list. He suffered the injury in the Dec. 30 overtime loss at Cleveland ... In 28 games before the injury averaged 3.0 points, 1.1 assists, 0.3 steals, 8.9 minutes ... Scored a career-high 18 points (5-8 fgs, 4-6 3pt, 4-5 fts in 27 minutes of the Dec. 3 win over Orlando... 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. Phoenix: 7 points (2-5 fgs, 2-4 3pt, 1-2 fts), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 9 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 send any comments or questions to John Christensen, Communications Director, Portland Trail Blazers. johnc@blazers.com