PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS at HOUSTON ROCKETS MARCH 30, 1996 Blazers open Texas invasion --- The Portland Trail Blazers are 34-35 after Thursday's 94-89 win over Golden State and are looking to climb back to .500 when they open a two-game Texas invasion at Houston Saturday. In their last meeting with the Rockets back on March 5, the Blazers suffered their 10th loss in 12 games to drop them eight games below the break-even mark. Since then, Portland has won eight of nine and now is in the thick of a battle for a place in the Western Conference Playoffs. Going into Saturday's contest, Portland is a game back of No. 6 Phoenix and 3 1/2 games up on No. 8 Sacramento. The Blazers are seeking lock up their league-best 14th consecutive playoff appearance and their 18th in the last 19 years. Thursday's win over Golden State was Portland's seventh in a row at home, the longest such streak in two seasons. At 9-3 during March with two games remaining, the Blazers have already equalled the most wins for any of the previous 16 months. Saturday's probable starters --- (F) 3 CLIFFORD ROBINSON, 6-10, 21.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg; (F) 52 BUCK WILLIAMS, 6-8, 6.6 ppg, 5.9 (C) 11 ARVYDAS SABONIS, 7-3, 14.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg; (G) 23 HARVEY GRANT, 6-9, 9.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg; (G) 1 ROD STRICKLAND, 6-3, 19.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 9.5 apg. The all-time series --- Portland has dropped two in a row to the Houston Rockets and trails in its all time series with the defending world champions, 62-49. Portland's last win in the series was a 103-101 double overtime thriller in the Rose Garden on Dec. 10. That was the Trail Blazers fourth win in five tries against the two-time defending world champs. Since then, Houston has registered 91-86 and 100-93 decisions, the latter in Portland on March 5. The Rockets' win at home over the Blazers in December was their second in a row and their fourth in the last five games in Houston and lowered Portland's all-time record there to 18-38. The Blazers' last victory in the Summit was 102-94 on Nov. 22, 1994. At home, Portland has a 31-24 advantage over the Texas team. This season vs. the Rockets --- The Trail Blazers are down two games to one in the season's series with all three games close at the end. Arvydas Sabonis' rebound and seven-foot hook shot at the buzzer ended a two-overtime thriller in favor of Portland, 103-101, on Dec. 10. Rod Strickland scored a season-high 32 points in that one, while Clyde Drexler topped the Rockets with 26 points and 14 rebounds. In the rematch 11 days later in Houston, Portland pulled to within three within the final minute before succumbing, 91-86. Strickland and the Rockets' Hakeem Olajuwon shared game scoring honors with 30 points apiece. In the March 5 clash in the Rose Garden, Portland was within one, 94-93, with 54 seconds remaining before Eldridge Reasner iced it for Houston, 100-93, by scoring six straight points while the Blazers came up empty on its last four possessions. Gary Trent led the Blazers in scoring with 17 points and Olajuwon topped Houston with 23. The Rockets have outscored Portland, 97.0-94.0 in the three outings but the Blazers have a 50.0-46.0 rebounding edge. Portland has converted at a .438 (112-256) rate from the field, compared with Houston's .409 (104-254) mark, but the Blazers are only .540 (47-87) at the charity stripe while Houston have converted .765 (62-81) of their free throws. Key win over Warriors --- Arvydas Sabonis tied his career high with 26 points and added 14 rebounds to lead the Trail Blazers to an important 94-89 win over Golden State Thursday in the Rose Garden. The victory, Portland's eighth in its last nine outings, opened a 3 1/2 game gap between the Blazers and 8th place Sacramento in the race for Western Conference Playoff berths. Portland owned a 72-58 lead after three quarters but had to stave off the Warriors in the game's final two minutes to claim the victory. Golden State, spurred by Latrell Sprewell who scored 14 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter, tied the game at 87 with 2:05 remaining. Key baskets by Rod Strickland and Harvey Grant iced the win for the Blazers, their seventh in a row at home. Strickland finished with 11 points and 11 assists, his 28th double-double of the season. Portland outshot the Warriors from the field, 48 percent (40-83) to 40 percent (32-80) and had a 49-38 rebounding advantage. Race to the playoffs --- With three weeks remaining in the red-hot stretch run for places in the Western Conference Playoffs scheduled to begin April 25, five games separate the sixth through ninth place teams ---Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento and Golden State. After Thursday night's action, the Blazers are in the seventh slot, a game back of No. 6 Phoenix, 3 1/2 games ahead of Sacramento and 4 games up on Golden State. Defense doing it --- The Trail Blazers' defense deserves a big part of the credit in the club's winning eight of its last nine games. In the nine-game stretch Portland has limited its foes to a combined field goal percentage of .382, and over the last six contests, to .359 shooting from the floor . . . Portland has held its opponents to under 90 points in each of the last six games, and under 80 points three times . . . For the month of March, during which the Blazers have won nine of 12 games, the defense has limited opponent field goal shooting to a .393 accuracy mark. Over the same 12 games, the Blazers have converted at a .465 rate from the field while outscoring their opponents by an average of 7.6 points per game . . . Portland has outscored its last nine opponents by 12.3 points per game (100.6-88.3), and has a 10.2 per game rebounding advantage (49.3- 39.1). Pounding the boards --- Portland has outrebounded 11 of its last 14 opponents, has averaged 51.0 retrieves in its last six games, and has grabbed 50 or more misses 19 times this season and in three of its last five . . . The Blazers rank third overall in the NBA in rebounding percentage (.530), first in defensive rebounding (.727), and sixth in offensive rebounding (.337). For the season, Portland is outrebounding its opponents by 5.1 a game. Among the leaders --- CLIFFORD ROBINSON'S 21.2 points per game average places him 14th among NBA scoring leaders and his 38.2 minutes per game is No. 20 in the league . . . ROD STRICKLAND is averaging 9.5 assists a game, second best in the NBA, his 19.2 ppg scoring average ranks him 28th in the league, and his 38.2 minutes per game average is 19th highest . . . ARVYDAS SABONIS is sixth among the NBA's top field goal shooters with a .557 mark (323-580) in 61 games . . . CHRIS DUDLEY is 20th in the NBA in rebounding with a 9.2 average and 27th in blocked shots (1.28 per game). Buck nearing 16,000 --- Buck Williams scored three points Thursday against Golden State, upping his career total to 15,983, moving him past Kiki Vandeweghe (15,980) in 57th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Buck, in his 15th NBA season, is closing in on becoming only the eighth player in the history of the NBA to record 16,000 points and 12,000 rebounds. With 13 games remaining, Williams, needs 17 points to join a select group that includes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes, Robert Parish, Walt Bellamy and Bob Pettit who have reached that plateau. Of those, only Parish is still an active player and all but Parish and Malone have already been inducted into Basketball's Hall of Fame. And, a Buck in time --- Williams, who has seen 158 minutes of action in his last six games, has moved into ninth place among the NBA's all-time minutes played leaders, passing Hall of Famer Hal Greer. After Monday's game, he has played 39,908 minutes in 1,179 games over 15 seasons. The eight who have played more minutes than Buck: Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, Elvin Hayes, Wilt Chamberlain, John Havlicek, Moses Malone, Robert Parish, Oscar Robertson and Bill Russell. Sabonis passes Bowie --- Arvydas Sabonis has passed Sam Bowie as Portland's highest scoring rookie in 15 years and now is the ninth highest in the club's history. Sabonis now has 860 points in 61 games. Bowie put 758 points on the board in 76 games in 1984-85. Kelvin Ransey, who tallied 1,217 in 80 games during the 1980-81 campaign, was the last rookie to score more than Sabas' current total. Highest scoring rookie combo --- Arvydas Sabonis, with 860 points, and forward Gary Trent, 501 points, are now the highest scoring Blazers rookie combination since Mychal Thompson (1,074) and Ron Brewer (1,078) combined for 2,152 points in 1978-79. The Sabonis-Trent duo has passed Clifford Robinson (746) and Drazen Petrovic (583) who combined for 1,328 points during 1988-89, and Sam Bowie (758) and Steve Coulter (556), who tallied 1,314 points between them in 1984-85. Trail Blazing --- Twenty of the Blazers' 35 setbacks have been by five points or less and 11 have been by three or under . . . Conversely, 25 of the Blazers 34 wins have been by 6 points or more, 16 have been by 10 points or higher, and five have been by more than 20 . . . The Blazers are 5-11 in games decided by three points or less and 9-20 when the margin is five points or under. . . Portland is 30-9 when leading going into the fourth quarter and 4-26 when tied or behind . . . It is 26-11 when holding the lead at halftime and 7-23 when trailing . . . The Blazers are 21-15 when leading after one quarter and 12-20 when behind or tied . . . They are 23-9 when scoring more than 100 points and 23-12 when limiting opponents to under 100 points . . . Portland is 11-21 against teams with better than .500 records and 23-14 with teams at .500 or under . . . Portland is 14-4 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field and 22- 7 when keeping opponents at 43 percent or under. Mix and match --- Coach P.J. Carlesimo employed his 16th different starting combination Monday against Philadelphia (Clifford Robinson, Grant, Sabonis, McKie, Rumeal Robinson). In 68 games thus far, he's shuttled 11 different Blazers (of the 12 now on the active roster) into the 16 various starting lineups with only Elmore Spencer not getting a start call at least once. Last season Carlesimo used 12 different starting fives that involved ten different players. Going back-to-back --- Saturday's contest in Houston opens the 16th of 19 back-to-back sets of games (contests on consecutive nights) on the Blazers' 1995-96 schedule. Portland will play at Dallas on Sunday. Going into the Rockets' battle, the Blazers are 13-17 overall in back-to-back action this season, and are 6-9 in the opening game of the two-night combos. On the road, Portland has a 4-9 mark in back-to-back openers. Rally falls short --- Brian Grant's long jumper with less than a second on the shot clock and 4.3 seconds remaining in the game gave the Kings an 80-78 win in Sacramento Friday, snapping a six-game Blazers win streak. Grant's shot cut short a Portland rally from as many as 15 points back. Portland shot just .358 from the field (29-81), .607 from the line (17-28) and committed 22 turnovers but still had a shot at winning the game. That was do, in part, because they limited the Kings to a .342 field goal night, including an opponent season low 27 field goals (79 attempts), and won the the battle on the boards, 54-50. Clifford Robinson topped the Blazers in scoring with 15 points and Arvydas Sabonis contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds. The loss gave the Kings the season series, three games to one, their first since 1984-85 and only the second time in the last 20 years. Blazers burn Sixers --- Big games from centers Arvydas Sabonis and Chris Dudley paced Portland to a dominating 94-71 win over Philadelphia Monday in the Rose Garden. The victory earned Portland a two-game series sweep of the Sixers. Sabonis finished with a team-high 18 points and 15 rebounds and Dudley contributed 10 points and 9 boards. The two combined for 10-for-10 field goal shooting, were 4 of 4 from the line and totaled 25 points and 14 rebounds in the first half. Clifford Robinson added 17 points to the total as six Blazers finished in double figure scoring. Portland outscored the Sixers, 30-17, in the first quarter, had a 55-36 bulge at halftime and opened that to 75-51 after three periods. Portland, playing without its second leading scorer Rod Strickland (strained left groin), shot 47 percent for the game (36-76) and held Philadelphia to a .338 (26-77) field goal effort. The Blazers outrebounded the Sixers, 48-43. 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. Going into the Houston contest, P.J. has a two-season mark of 78-73 in Portland. On to Dallas --- Portland moves on to Dallas tomorrow night to take on the Mavericks (6 p.m., KEX Radio, KGW-TV) and close out its two-game invasion of Texas. The Blazers return to the Rose Garden on Tuesday to host the Vancouver Grizzlies (7 p.m., KEX Radio), in the first of five remaining home games on the 1995-96 regular season schedule. Next weekend, Portland has a tough back-to-back set, playing in Denver on Friday then hosting conference-leading Seattle on Saturday. BLAZERS PROFILES CLIFFORD ROBINSON . . . . . vs. the Warriors Thursday: 17 points (7-13 fgs, 1-2 3pt, 2-4 fts), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 28 minutes . . . vs. the 76ers Monday: 17 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 34 minutes . . . vs. the Kings Friday: Team-high 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 38 minutes . . . Scored game-high 37 points in 53 minutes in the Mar. 10 overtime win over Indiana, scoring all five Portland points in second OT to secure the victory . . . Returned to action Jan. 26 vs. the Spurs to score 18 points after missing the previous four games with a sprained ankle . . . Scored game-high 24 points vs. Denver Jan. 19, including 20 in the second half when he made 5-of-5 from long range, tieing a club record for makes in a half . . . 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 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 31 times. . . Has tallied 30 or more points 10 times and 20 or more 38 times . . . Ranks 14th in the NBA in scoring with a 21.2 average . . . Is averaging 38.2 minutes, 20th highest per game mark in the league . . . Is fifth in three-pointers with 155 makes . . . Has connected for five or more treys in seven games, four or more in 15 and three or more in 29 . . . Missed four games after suffering a sprained right ankle on Jan. 19 . . . Has played all but 11 of the 550 games in his career and is now No. 8 on the Blazers all-time games played list . . . Is second on the Blazers' all-time blocked shots list with 649 . . . Ranks in the Blazers' all-time top ten in 16 of 17 statistical categories . . . vs. Houston this season: Averaged 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks, 31.3 minutes in three games, with high of 18 points in the Dec. 10 victory. BUCK WILLIAMS . . . . . 1995-96 Blazers captain . . . vs. the Warriors Thursday: 3 points (1-4 fgs, 1-2 fts), 4 rebounds, 24 minutes . . . vs. the 76ers Monday: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 30 minutes . . . vs. the Kings Friday: 9 points, 9 rebounds, 27 minutes in his eighth starting assignment of the year . . . Celebrated his 36th birthday vs. the Kings on Mar. 22 with season-high 21 points (9-10 fgs, 3-3 fts) and 11 rebounds . . . Recorded the 1,000th steal of his career Jan. 27 vs. Dallas . . . Had 17 points and 8 rebounds in a season-high 46 minutes vs. the Cavs Jan. 21 . . . Scored 17 points and had a game and season-high 15 rebounds vs. the Heat Jan. 10 . . . Saw his first action of the season versus Chicago Nov. 27 . . . Was activated Nov. 27 after opening the year on the injured list with torn tendons in his left thumb, missing the first 12 games this season . . . In his previous 14 years, he missed only 26 of 1,148 games and only 23 of those due to injury . . . Only the eighth player in NBA history to record 15,000 career points and 12,000 rebounds . . . Now has 15,983 points and 12,368 rebounds in 1,179 career games (see previous note) . . . vs. Houston this season: Averaged 7.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.7 blocks, 22.7 minutes, and shot .615 (8-13) from field in three games, with high of nine points twice. ROD STRICKLAND . . . . . . vs. the Warriors Thursday: 11 points (5-16 fgs, 0-3 3pt, 1-2 fts), game-high 11 assists, 1 steal, 41minutes---his team-best 29th double-double of the season . . . vs. the 76ers Monday: Did not dress (strained groin, left leg) . . . vs. the Kings Friday: 13 points, game-high 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 39 minutes . . Had 28 points, game-high 11 assists, team-high 8 rebounds vs. Indiana on Mar. 10, the fourth time this season he's come up two rebounds shy of his second career triple-double . . . Returned to the lineup Jan. 8 vs. the Kings after missing seven games and came off the bench to score 19 points and distribute a game-high 12 assists in 34 minutes . . . Fouled out for the second time this season and only the eighth time in nine years in the NBA after scoring 13 points and dishing out a game-high 7 assists vs. Phoenix on Feb. 15 . . . vs. the Jazz Jan. 23: Team-high 18 points, team- high 8 assists, 39 minutes in first game back after missing previous three games (broken blood vessel in his left eye suffered in Jan. 19 Denver contest) . . . vs. Denver Jan. 13: Team-high 26 points and a game-high 16 assists . . . 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 . . . Had a game-high 24 points and 11 assists 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 . . . Has led team in assists in all but two of the 58 games he's played, and in scoring 19 times . . . Has contributed 12 or more assists in 17 games . . Is averaging 9.5 assists, second best in the NBA . . . Has 2,413 assists, third all-time in Portland . . . Ranks 19th in the NBA in minutes played with a 38.2 average . . . vs. Houston this season: Averaged 31.0 points, 7.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 43.0 minutes and shot .533 from the field (24- 45) in two games with season-high 32 points in the Dec. 10 victory. Did not dress (left groin strain) for Mar. 5 contest. CHRIS DUDLEY . . . . . vs. the Warriors Thursday: 5 points (2-3 fgs, 1-2 fts), 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 20 minutes . . . vs. the 76ers Monday: 10 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block, 18 minutes . . . vs. the Kings Friday: 6 points, game- high 13 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 blocked shots, 33 minutes . . . vs. the Wolves Mar. 19: 11 points, game-high 11 rebounds, 1 block, 28 minutes- --his eighth double-double of the season . . . Had a key block of an Alonzo Mourning shot at the buzzer to preserve the Blazers one-point victory over Miami on Jan. 10 . . . Season-high 19 rebounds versus Charlotte Dec. 14 . . . Leading Blazers rebounder in 32 games . . . Has grabbed 12 or more rebounds in 17 games . . . Ranks 20th in the league in rebounding with a 9.2 average, and 27th in blocked shots (1.28 per game) while averaging 24.7 minutes a game . . . Started 59 games this season . . . Had played in 103 consecutive games before missing the Dec. 10 game vs. Houston with a bruised sternum . . . vs. Houston this season: Averaged 9.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 24.5 minutes in two games with high of 10 points in Dec. 21 game. HARVEY GRANT . . . . . vs. the Warriors Thursday: 10 points (5-8 fgs), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block, 31 minutes . . . vs. the 76ers Monday: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 32 minutes . . . vs. the Kings Friday: 4 points, 22 minutes . . . Scored season and game-high 24 points, 8 rebounds in 40 minutes vs. San Antonio Jan. 26---his 11 field goals and 20 attempts were the most since the 1993-94 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 . . . Has scored in double figures 24 times, and led the Blazers in scoring and rebounding once each . . . Has connected at a .578 rate from the field (48-83) in the last 10 games . . . Missed five games in December with a sprained left foot . . . vs. Houston this season: Averaged 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.3 steals, 38.0 minutes and shot .552 (16-29) from the field in three games with high of 14 points twice. ARVYDAS SABONIS . . . . . vs. the Warriors Thursday: Tied career high with 26 points (11-20 fgs, 1-3 3pt, 3-6 fts), game-high 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 32 minutes---his 13th double-double of the season . . . vs. the 76ers Monday: Team-high 18 points, game-high 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 26 minutes (Was 7 of 7 from the field and had 15 points and 8 rebounds in 14 minutes of the first half) . . . vs. the Kings Friday: 14 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 26 minutes . . . Scored team-high 23 points and had game and career-high 17 rebounds in his second start as a Blazer in Mar. 10 double-OT win over Indiana . . . Scored career-high 26 points (11-14 fgs) and had 10 rebounds at Atlanta on Feb. 28 . . . Grabbed seven of his game-high 11 rebounds in the fourth quarter of the Feb. 5 win over the Raptors. . . . Scored all 17 of his points while making eight straight baskets in a seven minute span in the second quarter versus Phoenix Jan. 19 to break the game open . . . vs. Denver Jan. 13: 22 points, 8 rebounds, and game-clinching free throw with 6 seconds remaining . . . Had game-tieing tipin with 5 seconds remaining that setup up Portland's 90-89 victory over Miami Jan. 10 . . . Scored 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 . . . Portland's third leading scorer and second leading rebounder despite averaging just 23.3 minutes per contest and starting just eight games . . . Scored in double figures 46 times in 61 games, including 31 of last 39, and has had 20 or more in 13 games . . . Has averaged 19.3 points and 13.7 rebounds in his last three games . . . Sixth in the league in field goal accuracy (.557). . .He's fifth in scoring (14.1 ppg), second in rebounding (7.7 rpg), eighth in assists (1.8 apg), eighth in steals (0.90), and seventh in blocked shots (0.92) among the league's rookies . . . Scored 8 points and grabbed 3 rebounds in four minutes in the Schick Rookie Game at the NBA All-Star Weekend in San Antonio . . . 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. . vs. Houston this season: Averaged 14.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks, 31.5 minutes in two games with high of 16 points in Mar. 5 game. Did not dress (back spasms) for Dec. 21 contest. AARON McKIE . . . . . vs. the Warriors Thursday: 12 points (6-9 fgs, 0-1 3pt), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 33 minutes . . . vs. the 76ers Monday: 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 25 minutes . . . vs. the Kings Friday: 10 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 26 minutes . . . Recorded his first double-double of the season and the third of his career vs. the Spurs Jan. 26---11 points, career-high equalling 10 rebounds . . . Played a career-high 46 minutes and scored 21 points vs. the Cavs Jan. 21 . . . Career-high equalling 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block at New York Jan. 2 . . . Has scored in double figures 37 times and had 20 or more four times . . . Team leader in scoring four times, rebounding twice and assists four times . . . Current Blazers leader in consecutive games played with 68 . . . 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 . . . vs. Houston this season: Averaged 9.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 32.0 minutes in three games with high of 12 points in Mar. 5 loss. GARY TRENT . . . . .Did not play (coach's decision) in last two games, because of broken finger . . . Not with team (broken ring finger, right hand) at Sacramento . . . last appearance vs. the Wolves Mar. 19: 1 point, 4 minutes . . . Scored a team-high 17 points and had a career and team-high 5 assists vs. Houston on Mar. 5 before breaking a finger with 1:08 remaining in the game . . . Recorded his fifth career double-double, 13 points, 10 rebounds vs. Miami March 1 . . . Had team-high 19 points and game-high 10 rebounds vs. San Antonio Feb. 20 . . . Scored 16 points and had game high and career high-equalling 11 rebounds vs. Minnesota Feb. 7 . . . Career-high 21 points in 31 minutes versus the Suns Jan. 19 . . . Scored 12 points (6-8 fgs)---his first points as a pro---in the Nov. 5 win over Utah . . . He's second on the team and second among all the league's rookies in field goal percentage (.523) . . . His 7.9 ppg ranks 14th among the league's rookies in scoring and he's 15th among first-year players in rebounding (3.5 per game average) . . . Scored in double figures in 25 of 63 outings . . . Converted 79 of 125 (.632) from the field in his last 18 games . . . Was acquired (along with a conditional 1996 first round draft pick) from Milwaukee in exchange for the draft rights to Shawn Respert . . . vs. Houston this season: Averaged 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 21.7 minutes and shot .577 (15- 26) field goals in three games, with high of 17 points in Mar. 5 contest. JAMES ROBINSON . . . . . vs. the Warriors Thursday: 2 points (1-1 fgs), 1 assist, 6 minutes . . . vs. the 76ers Monday: 8 points, game-high 7 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 26 minutes . . . vs. the Kings Friday: did not play (coach's decision) . . . Scored 11 points, including game-winning three-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining vs. the Raptors Feb. 5 . . . Season and team-high 22 points, team-high 6 assists in his fifth start vs. Cleveland Jan. 21 . . . Had a career-high 4 steals along with 18 points in the Jan. 7 win over the Wolves . . . Had a season-high 6 rebounds at Milwaukee Jan. 5 . . . Scored 17 points including game-winning three- pointer at the buzzer at the Lakers Nov. 21 . . . Has connected on at least one trey in 42 games this season . . . Has scored in double figures 24 times, and led the Blazers in scoring twice and assists four times . . . Missed entire preseason after suffering fracture of fourth metcarpal in his left hand in fall camp . . . vs. Houston this season: Averaged 4.7 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 23.7 minutes in three games with high of 9 points in Dec. 21 loss. DONTONIO WINGFIELD . . . . . vs. the Warriors Thursday: 7 points (2-8 fgs, 0-4 3pt, 3-4 fts), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 18 minutes . . . vs. the 76ers Monday: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 18 minutes . . . vs. the Kings Friday: 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 20 minutes . . . Scored career-high 17 points and had 7 rebounds and career-high 5 assists in a career-high 39 minutes vs. Indiana Mar. 10 . . . Previous career highs were 11 points at New Jersey Nov. 7 and 3 assists and 29 minutes vs. Vancouver Nov. 3 . . His team-best string of 18 consecutive free throws was snapped when he missed the second of a two in the fourth quarter Thursday vs. Golden State . . . Started three games at forward to begin the season . . . Was signed as a free agent . . . Spent last year with the Seattle . . . Played one year of college ball at Cincinnati before being drafted in the second round by the Sonics in 1994 . . . vs. Houston this season: Averaged 1.0 points, 0.5 rebounds, 3.0 minutes in two games. Did not play (coach's decision) in Mar. 5 game. RUMEAL ROBINSON . . . . . vs. the Warriors Thursday: 1 point (0-1 fgs, 1-4 fts), 1 assist, 7 minutes . . . vs. the 76ers Monday: 11 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 27 minutes in ninth start as a Blazer . . . vs. the Kings Friday: 0 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals, 9 minutes . . . Scored season-high 20 points in 31 minutes vs. Miami on March 1 . . . vs. the Pistons Feb. 25: Team-high 19 points, game-high 11 assists, season- high 40 minutes---second straight double-double . . . In his first-ever start for Portland vs. Denver on Feb. 22, had 18 points and a game-high 13 assists . . .Scored 16 points and had team-high 7 assists and sparked second and fourth quarter rallies vs. San Antonio Feb. 20 . . . Did not score in 1 minute in his first game as a Blazer on Jan. 16 vs. Denver . . . Signed as a free agent 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 . . . The last two season's he's averaged 20.2 ppg in 37 contests in the CBA, 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 . . . vs. Houston this season: Scored 2 points and had 2 rebounds in 21 minutes as a starter in the Mar. 5 contest. ELMORE SPENCER . . . . vs. the Warriors Thursday: did not play (coach's decision) . . . vs. the Sixers Monday: 0 points, 1 rebound, 4 minutes . . . vs. the Kings Friday: did not play (coach's decision) . . . Scored a season-high 5 points vs. Minnesota on Mar. 19. . . at the Jazz Jan. 23: 1 point in 3 minutes in first appearance as a Blazer . . . Signed as a free agent on Jan. 10 . . . Drafted in the 1st round (25th pick overall) by the Clippers in 1992, and played three seasons before being traded to Denver for Brian Williams . . . Released by Denver 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 . . . vs. Houston this season: Did not play (coach's decision) in the Mar. 5 game.