PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS vs. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS JANUARY 21, 1996 Keeping it going --- The Trail Blazers (19-19), winners of five of their last six games and seven of their last nine, will be looking to extend their success streak in the Rose Garden to a season-best six games when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. A victory would push Portland above the .500 mark for the first time since Dec. 15. The Blazers also will be out to make ammends for a 124-121 double overtime loss earlier this season in Cleveland. After Sunday, the Blazers take to the road for three games starting Tuesday in Utah. Saturday's probable starters --- (F) 44 HARVEY GRANT, 6-9, 9.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg; (F) 52 BUCK WILLIAMS, 6-8, 7.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg; (C) 24 CHRIS DUDLEY, 6-11, 5.2 ppg, 9.7 rpg; (G) 23 AARON MCKIE, 6-5, 11.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg; (G) 26 JAMES ROBINSON, 6-2, 9.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.0 rpg. Rod out, Clifford maybe --- Rod Strickland, the Blazers No. 2 scorer (20.1 ppg.) and the league's No. 2 assists man, will not be in uniform for Sunday's Cleveland game, and the availability of Clifford Robinson, Portland's top scorer (23.7 ppg), will be a game-time decision. Both players were injured in last Tuesday's Denver game and have missed the Blazers' last two outings. Strickland suffered a broken blood vessel in the left eye when struck by an inadvertent passed ball, and Robinson was sidelined with a severely sprained right ankle. Both injuries occurred in the third quarter of Portland's 87-69 win over the Nuggets. The all-time series --- The Blazers have a 46-33 advantage in their all- time series with the Cleveland Cavaliers and are up 27-11 in matchups in Portland. However, the Cavs have been successful on each of their last two visits here, including an 81-80 squeeker last year that spoiled Portland's nostalgia night kicking off its 25th anniversary celebration. The Blazers last home win over Cleveland was by a 123-104 score on Nov. 13, 1992.The Cavs' 124-121 two overtimer on Dec. 30 was their third win in the last four contests with Portland. The last time they met --- Portland suffered its second three-point road loss in two nights, this time a two-overtime downer in Cleveland, 124-121, on Dec. 15. It was the second stop on a five-games-in-eight days eastern road trip. A season-low 17-of-35 (.486) from the free throw line had a role in the setback, the third OT the Blazers have let get away in four tries this season. It was the second game in a row Portland hit 50 percent or better from the field (.500 on 48-96) and still came up empty. They were .527 in Friday's 102-99 loss at Charlotte. Cleveland managed a 44 percent shot chart (44-100) and set an all-time NBA high by casting 40 three-pointers, connecting on 15 of them, a Portland opponent high. The Blazers were 8 of 24 from beyond the arc. Rod Strickland led seven Blazers in double-figure scoring with 22 points while playing a career-high 50 minutes. Bobby Phills had a career high 43 points to lead the Cavs. Garden show burns Suns --- The Trail Blazers turned in a solid team performance to make up for the absence of their top two scorers, Clifford Robinson and Rod Strickland, to zip past Phoenix, 101-84, in the Rose Garden Friday. The victory snapped a six-game Suns win streak in the series and was the first at home over the Suns in the last four tries. Six Blazers finished in double figure scoring, led by rookie forward Gary Trent with a career-high 21 points. The Blazers broke the game open in the second quarter when another rookie, center Arvydas Sabonis, swished eight straight baskets and scored all 17 of his points to stake Portland to a 54-48 halftime lead. The Suns, plagued by injuries themselves, never came closer as the Blazers enjoyed a double-digit cushion for most of the second half. Portland shot 51 percent and Phoenix 42 percent for the game. The Blazers, led by Buck Williams, who had 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks, along with 12 points, outrebounded the Suns, 43-36. Among the leaders --- CLIFFORD ROBINSON'S 23.7 points per game average places him eighth 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 23nd in the league, and his 38.8 minutes per game average is 13th highest . . . ARVYDAS SABONIS is fourth among the league's best field goal shooters at .578 (161-281). 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 (14.2 ppg) and third in rebounding (7.0 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. 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 15th 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 439 points in 31 games through Friday, 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 . . . 13 of the Blazers 19 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 18-4 when leading going into the fourth quarter and 1-15 when tied or behind . . . It is 14-6 when holding the lead at halftime and 4-12 when trailing . . . The Blazers are 12-9 when leading after one quarter and 6-10 when behind . . . They are 14-8 when scoring more than 100 points and 9-2 when limiting opponents to under 100 points . . . Portland is 8-10 against teams with better than .500 records and 11-9 with teams at .500 or under . . . Portland is 10-4 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field and 10- 4 when keeping opponents at 43 percent or under . . . The Blazers are averaging 102.7 ppg (12th highest in the league) to their opponents' 101.5 . . . Portland is 2-6 against Central Division foes this season, including a 2-2 mark in inter-division games at home . . . The Blazers are 9-9 overall in matchups with Eastern Conference teams and 7-3 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 .513 field goal shooting mark versus Phoenix Friday, following on the heals of a season-best 59 percent effort two games earlier at Denver, was the 14th time this season the Blazers have topped the .500 mark from the field and the sixth time in the last 11 games . . . Portland is shooting .463 from the floor thus far in the season, 12 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 (257) and their .397 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 --- Friday's win over Phoenix closed out the 10th of 19 back-to-back sets of games (games played on consecutive nights) on the Blazers' 1995-96 schedule. The Blazers now have a 5-5 record in second-night engagements, including a 3-1 mark when the finisher is on the home maple. Overall, Portland is 10-10 in back-to-back combos. The next two-night stand comes this weekend when the Blazers play at San Antonio on Friday and Dallas on Saturday. Attendance league's fourth best --- The Blazers had their 10th sellout of the season, 21,401, on hand for Friday's win over Phoenix. That put Portland's 19-game average in the Rose Garden at 20,903, 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 19 games this season---397,164---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. 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). 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, Thursday in Arco Arena. The loss snapped the Blazers four-game winning streak. It was the second straight loss to the Kings and the fourth in five games. After Sacramento built a 32-19 first quarter lead, 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. 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, and took a season-high equalling 23 misses off the offensive glass. 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. 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. On the road --- Following tonight's clash with Cleveland, the Trail Blazers head out for three games on the road beginning with Utah on Tuesday (7:30 p.m., KEX Radio, KGW-TV). The route continues through San Antonio on Friday (6:30 p.m., KEX Radio, KGW-TV) and Dallas on Saturday (5:30 p.m., KEX Radio, KGW-TV). Portland's next home contest is Jan. 29 versus the Seattle SuperSonics. BLAZERS PROFILES CLIFFORD ROBINSON . . . . . Suffered a severely sprained left ankle in Tuesday's Denver game and has missed the last two outings. His availability Sunday will be a game-time decision . . . vs. Denver Tuesday: Game-high 24 points, 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 Jan. 13: 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 sitting out the last two contests . . . Has played all but nine of 530 games in his 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. Cleveland: 20 points (7-18 fg, 3-11 3pt, 3-8 fts), 9 rebunds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 48 minutes. ROD STRICKLAND . . . . . . Missed the last two games (broken blood vessel in his left eye suffered in Tuesday's Denver contest) and will not dress for Sunday's game with Cleveland . . . 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. Cleveland: Team-high 22 points (8-18 fgs, 0-1 fts, 6-14 fts), 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, career-high 50 minutes. BUCK WILLIAMS . . . . . vs. the Suns Friday: 12 points (4-8 fgs, 4-4 fts), team-high 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 39 minutes in his fourth start of the season . . . vs. Sacramento Thursday: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block, 28 minutes . . . vs. Denver Tuesday: 8 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block, 27 minutes . . . vs. the Heat Jan. 10: Season high-equalling 17 points, game and season-high 15 rebounds . . . 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 21 of 34 shots for a .618 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 (8,026) . . . Last game vs. Cleveland: 9 points (4-8 fgs, 1-3 fts), 7 rebounds, 1 assists, 18 minutes. CHRIS DUDLEY . . . . . vs. the Suns Friday: 2 points (0-4 fgs, 2-2 fts), 5 rebounds, 1 block, 24 minutes . . . vs. Sacramento Thursday: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 24 minutes . . . vs. Denver Tuesday: 3 points, 6 rebounds, 22 minutes . . . vs. the Heat Jan. 10: 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 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 37 games he's played in . . . Has grabbed 12 or more rebounds in 12 games . . . Ranks 16th in the league in rebounding with a 9.7 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. Cleveland: 2 points (1-3 fgs), game-high 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 24 minutes. ARVYDAS SABONIS . . . . . vs. the Suns Friday: 17 points (8-10 fgs, 1-1 fts), 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 24 minutes---scored all 17 of his points while making eight straight baskets in a seven minute span in the second quarter to break the game open . . . . vs. Sacramento Thursday: 15 points, 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 Jan. 13: 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 Jan. 10 . . . 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 25 times in 31 games, including the last 10 in a row and has had 20 or more in seven games . . . Fifth in scoring (14.2 ppg) and third in rebounding (7.0 rpg) among the league's rookies . . . Is fourth in the league in field goal accuracy at .578 (161-281) . . . 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. Cleveland: 10 points (3-7 fgs, 4-6 fts), 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 34 minutes. HARVEY GRANT . . . . . vs. the Suns Friday: 12 points (6-12 fgs), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 29 minutes . . . vs. Sacramento Thursday: 8 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 41 minutes . . . vs. Denver Tuesday: 6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 41 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. Cleveland: 16 points (7-10 fgs, 1-1 3pt, 1-2 fts), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 34 minutes. JAMES ROBINSON . . . . . vs. the Suns Friday: 14 points (4-12 fgs, 3-8 3pt, 3-8 fts), 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 34 minutes in his fourth start of the season . . . vs. Sacramento Thursday: 13 points, team-high 5 assists, 4 rebounds. . . vs. Denver Tuesday: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 19 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 28 of 37 games . . . Has scored in double figures 15 times . . . Missed entire preseason after suffering fracture of fourth metacarpal in his left hand in fall camp . . . Last game vs. Cleveland: 12 points (5-8 fgs, 2-4 3pt), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 18, minutes. AARON McKIE . . . . . vs. the Suns Friday: 8 points (3-8 fgs, 2-4 fts), 5 rebounds, team-high 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 26 minutes . . . vs. Sacramento Thursday: Team-high 18 points, team-high 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 38 minutes . . . vs. Denver Tuesday: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 25 minutes . . . vs. the Knicks Jan. 2: Career-high equalling 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block 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 scoring twice, rebounding twice and assists once . . . Current Blazers leader in consecutive games played with 37. . . 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. Cleveland: 18 points (7-16 fgs, 2-7 3pt, 2-2 fts), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 39 minutes. GARY TRENT . . . . . vs. the Suns Friday: Career-high 21 points (9-14 fgs, 3-4 fts), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 31 minutes . . . vs. Sacramento Thursday: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 17 minutes . . . vs. Denver Tuesday: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 9 minutes . . . 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 15 of his 36 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. Cleveland: 12 points (6-8 fgs), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 24 minutes. DONTONIO WINGFIELD . . . . . vs. the Suns Friday: 2 points (1-2 fgs), 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 7 minutes . . . vs. Sacramento Thursday: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals in 20 minutes, the most since Nov. 7 . . . Did not play (coach's decision) in previous 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. Cleveland: Did not play (coach's decision). RUMEAL ROBINSON . . . . . vs. the Suns Friday: 13 points (5-8 fgs, 0-3 3pt, 3-4 fts), 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 26 minutes . . . 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. Cleveland: Scoreless in 1 minute of action. 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 refer any comments or questions to John Christensen, Communications Director, Portland Trail Blazers at johnc@blazers.com.