PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS at SEATTLE SUPERSONICS APRIL 17, 1996 Locking up sixth --- The Portland Trail Blazers (43-36), winners of four in a row, 11 of their last 12 and 17 of their last 19 games after Monday's 121-97 rout of the San Antonio Spurs, heads into Wednesday's clash with its arch Pacific Northwest rival Seattle assured of the sixth seed in the Western Conference Playoffs beginning next week. The Blazers locked up the sixth slot ahead of Phoenix with the homecourt win over Midwest Division champ San Antonio. After tangling with Seattle, the Blazers have two regular season games remaining: At Golden State Friday and home against the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday. Portland, winner of five of its last seven games on the road, extended its best homecourt win streak in two years to 11 in a row with the victory over the Spurs Monday. At 43-36, the Blazers are now seven games over .500 for the first time this season and two games up on where they were after 79 games last year. After scoring back-to-back wins over Vancouver and San Antonio, the Blazers are assured of finishing with their 17th winning record in the last 20 seasons. The big turnaround --- Five weeks ago, the Blazers had lost 10 out of 12, dropped eight games below .500 at 26-34 and were in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in 14 years and only the second time since 1977. Since March 8, they have staged an incredible turnaround by any measurement. They have won 17 of 19 games, battled their way to seven games above the break-even mark and locked up the sixth seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. In the 17-2 run, Portland has registered wins over the Lakers, Houston and Phoenix, all on the road, and division champions Seattle and San Antonio at home. The Blazers have outscored their last 19 opponents by 10.5 points a game, outbattled them on the boards by 10.7 rebounds a game and limited their opponents to a combined field goal mark of 41 percent while converting at a 47 percent rate themselves. Portland has held 13 of its 19 opponents under 100 points, scored double-digit victories eight times and had cushions of 21 or more points in five of the victories. Wednesday's probable starters --- (F) 3 CLIFFORD ROBINSON, 6-10, 20.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg; (F) 44 HARVEY GRANT, 6-9, 9.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg (C) 11 ARVYDAS SABONIS, 7-3, 14.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg; (G) 23 AARON MCKIE, 6-5, 10.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg; (G) 1 ROD STRICKLAND, 6-3, 18.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 9.6 apg. The hottest team in the league --- Since Portland started its current run of successes on March 8, it is the league's hottest team, with division champions Seattle, Chicago and San Antonio no exception. After Monday's 121-97 win over San Antonio, the Blazers are 17-2 in the five- week span---(.895). In the same time frame Chicago is 15-3 (.833), San Antonio 17-4 (.810), and Seattle 15-4 (.789). Those three teams have a collective win-loss mark for the season of 187-48 (.796). The Blazers-Sonics series --- Portland won the last time out but still trails Seattle, 73-70, in a 26-year-old series that is one of the NBA's most spirited 'neighborhood' rivalries. The Blazers victory two weeks ago snapped a two-game Sonics win streak in the series. The two teams have broken even in their last six outings but over the last three seasons Seattle has taken nine of 14 decisions. Before the Blazers stopped the Pacific Division champions on April 6, the Sonics had won two in a row and four of five in Portland. Still, the Blazers have a 48-24 edge when the series action takes place south of the Columbia River. Up north, the figures are virtually reversed with Seattle holding a 49-22 homecourt advantage. The Blazers last road victory in the series was a 97-93 stunner in the TacomaDome one year ago tonight. This year versus Seattle --- Seattle won the first meeting in the Key Center, 106-97, on the strength of big games from Detlef Schrempf and Shawn Kemp who scored 28 and 25 points respectively. James Robinson came off the bench to lead the Blazers with 19 points in a foul-filled game that saw nine technicals called and Seattle's Gary Payton and Rod Strickland both ejected late in the contest. Gary Payton's 19-foot jumper with 13.5 seconds remaining sealed a 92-88 Seattle win in the second outing in the Rose Garden in January. Clifford Robinson led all scorers in the game with 25 points, James Robinson added 20 and Arvydas Sabonis had 19 for the Blazers. In game No. 3, Portland's defense shined down the stretch as the Blazers held on for a 95-92 win, breaking an nine-game Seattle win streak. After taking a 91-87 lead, the Blazers came up with four steals on the Sonics last six possessions and had seven in the final period. Rod Strickland, with 19 points, led six Blazers in double figure scoring in the game while Vincent Askew and Sam Perkins both scored 17 points to lead Seattle. The Sonics have outscored the Blazers by 3.4 points a game in the three contests while rebounding is virtually even. Portland fired at a 43 percent clip in the three games and Seattle 49 percent. 11 straight in the Garden --- Monday night's win was the Blazers' 11th in a row at home, equalling the longest home streak since Portland opened the 1993-94 season by winning 11 straight in Memorial Coliseum. The longest prior to that was 13 in a row during both 1990-91 and 1991- 92. The Blazers all-time longest home winning streak was 26 in a row during the 1977-78 campaign. Routing the Spurs --- Portland outscored San Antonio, 22-3 in the final 5:16 to whip Midwest Conference champion San Antonio, 121-97, before a capacity crowd in the Rose Garden Monday. It was Portland's two- season best 11th straight win at home, its 17th victory in the last 19 games, and was the biggest win over the Spurs since April 12, 1992. The victory also kept San Antonio from its first series sweep ever over the Blazers. Arvydas Sabonis tallied 22 points to lead six Blazers in double- number scoring; Buck Williams added 20 points, Clifford Robinson had 18 and Rod Strickland checked in with his 34th double-double of the season---14 points and 12 rebounds. The Blazers shot 50 percent from the field (44-88) and 80 percent from the line, while the Spurs were clicking at a 47 percent rate (33-74) from the floor and 74 percent in free throws (23-31). Portland had a huge 50-30 rebounding edge, including a team-high 11 by Chris Dudley. David Robinson led the Spurs with 25 points, including 15-of-19 free throws, and 13 rebounds. Sabonis hits 1000 --- Arvydas Sabonis became only the seventh Trail Blazers rookie and the first in 15 years to reach the 1,000-point mark. He has scored 31 points in his last two games to raise his season total for 71 games to 1,029. The last rookie to top the century mark was Kelvin Ransey who finished with 1,217 points in 1980-81. Sabonis also had 22 rebounds in his last two games to raise his season total to 574. That's the fifth highest total ever by a Blazers' first-year player. His scoring average of 14.5 points a contest is currently the sixth best ever by a Portland rookie. Geoff Petrie is the team's all-time leader, averaging 24.8 points in 82 games in the club's first season. Add Sabonis --- The 7-foot-3 center from Lithuania has been a key cog in the Blazers' torrid five-week run of 17 victories in 19 games. Since March 8, he has started 18 of the 19 games (missing one because of a viral infection) and has averaged 17.9 points, second highest on the team, and a team-best 11.1 rebounds while playing an average of 26.3 minutes per contest. In the stretch, he has posted 10 double-doubles, had 12 or more rebounds nine times and scored in double figures 16 times. He was named NBA Player of the Week for his efforts in the week ending March 31 when the Blazers won four in a row, two of them on the road. Bucking it up --- Blazers Capt. Buck Williams, who recently became only the eighth player in league history to top the 16,000 point-12,000 rebound mark, has been another of the keys in the team's 17-2 run. In the 19 games, Buck has burned the nets at a .589 rate (73-124), up from the 14- year career field goal mark of .552 he came into the season with and a big improvement from .445 shot chart (105-236) he had in his first 60 games this season. In starting three games and coming off the bench in the other 13, Buck has averaged 9.9 points and 6.1 rebounds, compared with his season averages of 7.1 points and 5.8 rebounds. Defense doing it ---The Blazers have limited 12 of their last 19 opponents to under 43 percent field goal shooting and have held eight of them under 40 percent. Collectively, the 19 foes have managed to make just .410 of their field goal attempts . . . In the same 19 games, the Portland offense has clicked at a .467 field goal rate, including eight games when they converted 50 percent or more of their shots . . . Portland has outscored its last 19 foes by an average of 10.5 points a game, held 15 of them under 100 points and eight under 90. More defense --- So far in the season, the Blazers have clamped down on opponent field goal shooting at a team-record pace. Through 79 games, Portland opponents have converted just .443 of their shots from the field, which is below the club's all-time defensive low for a season, .449 by the 1977-78 team . . . The .443 field goal mark by opponents is the sixth lowest in the NBA going into Wednesday's game . . . Portland opponents have been held to a 97.2 points per game average, two points a contest under the all-time opponent low of 99.2 last year. Portland's defense ranks 10th toughest in the league for points allowed. Pounding the boards --- Portland, one of the league's premier rebounding teams over the last eight seasons (never finishing lower than fifth), is at it again. The Blazers have outrebounded 20 of their last 24 opponents, have averaged 49.3 retrieves in their last 16 games, have grabbed 50 or more misses eight times in those 16 games and 24 times total this season . . . The Blazers lead the NBA in defensive rebounding percentage (.735), are third in total rebounding percentage (.534), and sixth in offensive rebounding (.333). For the season, Portland is outrebounding its opponents by 5.9 a game for the season and has a 10.7 per game advantage on the boards over the last 18 games . . . The Blazers make rebounding is a team effort; they are among the elite in the league in that category even though their leading rebounders, Chris Dudley and Arvydas Sabonis, rank just 21st and 29th among league's leaders with 8.9 and 8.1 per game averages respectively. Among the leaders --- CLIFFORD ROBINSON'S 20.9 points per game average places him 16th among NBA scoring leaders and his 38.1 minutes per game is No. 18 in the league . . . ROD STRICKLAND is averaging 9.6 assists a game, fourth highest among NBA leaders, his 18.8 ppg scoring average ranks him 31st in the league, he's 23rd in steals with a 1.45 average, and his 37.7 minutes per game average is 21st highest . . . ARVYDAS SABONIS is seventh among the NBA's top field goal shooters with a .544 mark (381-700) in 71 games, ranks 29th in rebounding (8.1 per game), and 35th in blocked shots (1.07 a game) . . . CHRIS DUDLEY is 21st in the NBA in rebounding with a 8.9 average and 27th in blocked shots (1.25 per game). Trail Blazing --- Twenty of the Blazers' 36 setbacks have been by five points or less and 11 have been by three or under . . . Conversely, 32 of the Blazers 43 wins have been by 6 points or more, 21 have been by 10 points or higher, and six have been by more than 20 . . . The Blazers are 7-11 in games decided by three points or less and 11-20 when the margin is five points or under but 21-11 when the difference is 10 points or more . . . Portland is 38-9 when leading going into the fourth quarter and 5-27 when tied or behind . . . It is 32-11 when holding the lead at halftime and 9-24 when trailing . . . The Blazers are 28-16 when leading after one quarter and 14-20 when behind or tied . . . They are 28-9 when scoring more than 100 points and 30-12 when limiting opponents to under 100 points . . . Portland is 15-21 against teams with better than .500 records and 28-15 with teams at .500 or under . . . Portland is 19-4 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field and 26-7 when keeping opponents at 43 percent or under . . . In winning 43 games, the Blazers victory margin averages 11.2 points; in its 36 losses, the margin is 7.9 points a game . . . Portland is 10-11 against teams in the Pacific Division, 4-6 against them on the road and is 28-21 overall in Western Conference action. Mixing and matching --- P.J. Carlesimo has employed 17 different starting lineups this season, using just 11players to make up those combinations. No Blazer has started every game this season and only Elmore Spencer on the current roster has yet to get at least one starting call. In winning 16 of the last 18 games, Carlesimo has called out seven different starting units involving nine of his 12 players. Going back-to-back --- The win over the Spurs closed out the last of 19 back-to-back sets of games (contests on consecutive nights) on the Blazers 1995-96 schedule. The Blazers finished 20-18 overall in two-night combos. They were 9-10 in the first game of the back-to-back sets and 11-8 in the second, were 7-2 in games played on their own floor and 13- 16 in contests on the road. SinceMarch 8 when the Blazers have won 17 of 19 games, they swept three of four back-to-back sets and split the other one for a 7-1 mark, including wins over Houston, Seattle, Phoenix and San Antonio. Two games remain --- After Wednesday's clash in Seattle, the Blazers play at Golden State on Friday (7 p.m., KEX Radio) then finish off regular season play at home Sunday in the Rose Garden against the Los Angeles Lakers (6 p.m., KEX Radio, BlazerVision). P.J. --- P.J. Carlesimo is finishing his second winning season as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. Last year, Carlesimo guided Portland to a 44-38 record, to become the first coach in 25 years to move directly from college to a head coaching job in the pros and post a winning record. 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 Seattle game, P.J. has a two-season mark of 87-74 in Portland. BLAZERS PROFILES CLIFFORD ROBINSON . . . . . vs. the Spurs Monday: 18 points (7-15 fgs, 2-3 3pt, 2-2 fts), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 38 minutes . . . vs. the Grizzlies Sunday: Game-high 23 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 44 minutes . . . vs. the Mavs Thursday: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 30 minutes . . . Converted four straight free throws in the final 17.5 seconds to ice the April 5 win at Denver . . . Scored game-high 37 points in 53 minutes in the Mar. 10 win over Indiana, scoring all five Portland points in the second OT to secure the victory . . . 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 to lead the Blazers to three wins. It was the first Player of the Week honor for Robinson . . . 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 . . . Missed four games after suffering a sprained right ankle on Jan. 19 . . . Has topped Blazers in scoring 35 times. . . Has tallied 30 or more points 10 times and 20 or more 42 times . . . Ranks 16th in the NBA in scoring with a 20.9 average . . . Is averaging 38.0 minutes, 18th highest per game mark in the league . . . Is seventh in three-pointers made with 173 (an all-time Blazers one-season record) . . . Recently passed the 9,000 point mark in his career (now has 9,103), seventh highest on Portland's all-time list . . Has played all but 11 of the 571 games in his career and is now No. 6 on the Blazers all-time games played list . . . Is second on the Blazers' all-time blocked shots list with 659 . . . Ranks in the Blazers' all-time top ten in 16 of 17 statistical categories . . . vs. Seattle this season: Averaged a team-best 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 42.3 minutes in three games. ROD STRICKLAND . . . . . . vs. the Spurs Monday: 14 points (5-12 fgs, 0- 1 3pt, 4-4 fts), 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 33 minutes----his team- best 34th double-double of the season . . . Did not play vs. Grizzlies Sunday (strained groin) . . . vs. the Mavs Thursday: 17 points, 8 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steals, 34 minutes . . . Equalled his career-high of 20 assists at Houston Mar. 29 . . . 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 . . . Fouled out for the second time this season and only the eighth time in nine years in the NBA 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) . . . 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 three of the 67 games he's played in, and in scoring 20 times . . . Has contributed 12 or more assists in 19 games . . . Is averaging 9.6 assists, fourth highest among NBA leaders . . . Has 2,501 assists, third all-time in Portland . . . Ranks 21st in the NBA in minutes played with a 37.7 average . . . . vs. Seattle this season: Averaged 11.7 points, 8.7 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 3.0 steals, 39.0 minutes in three games. BUCK WILLIAMS . . . . . 1995-96 Blazers captain . . . vs. the Spurs Monday: 20 points---one off his season-high (6-8 fgs, 8-8 fts), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 28 minutes . . . vs. the Grizzlies Sunday: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 24 minutes . . . vs. the Mavs Thursday: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 24 minutes . . . His three- pointer vs. Dallas was his second in eight games and only the fifth in 1,188 career games . . . 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 his 1,000th career steal 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 . . . On Mar. 31, became only the eighth player in league history to have 16,000 points and 12,000 rebounds. His career total now reads 16,085 points and 12,422 rebounds . . . He is one of only nine active players with 16,000 or more points and recently passed Kiki Vandeweghe as No. 57 in NBA all-time career scoring . . . Ranks eighth all-time in the NBA in games played with 1,189 and ninth in minutes played with 40,149. . . vs. Seattle this season: Averaged 5.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 0.7 blocks, 22.7 minutes in three games. CHRIS DUDLEY . . . . . vs. the Spurs Monday: 2 points (1-5 fgs), team- high 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 21 minutes . . . vs. the Grizzlies Sunday: 4 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block, 22 minutes . . . vs. the Mavs Thursday: 5 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 21 minutes . . . 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 33 games . . . Has grabbed 12 or more rebounds in 17 games . . . Ranks 21st in the league in rebounding with a 8.9 average, and 27th in blocked shots (1.25 per game) while averaging 24.1 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. Seattle this season: Averaged 3.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.3 blocks, 17.3 minutes in three games. ARVYDAS SABONIS . . . . . vs. the Spurs Monday: Team-high 22 points (7-10 fgs, 0-1 3pt, 8-10 fts), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 26 minutes . . . vs. the Grizzlies Sunday: 9 points, game-high 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 29 minutes . . . vs. the Mavs Thursday: 21 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assists, 23 minutes---his 19th double-double and his sixth in a row . . . Tied career high with 26 points and had a game-high 14 rebounds in 32 minutes vs. the Warriors Mar. 28 . . . Had a Team-high 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds against the Sixers on Mar. 25, including 7 of 7 from the field, 15 points and 8 rebounds in 14 minutes of the first half . . . Scored team-high 23 points and had game and career-high 17 rebounds in his second start as a Blazer in Mar. 8 win over the Kings . . . Scored career-high 26 points (11-14 fgs) at Atlanta on Feb. 28 . . . 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 . . . Had game-clinching free throw with 6 seconds remaining in Jan. 13 win over Denver. . . Had game-tieing tipin with 5 seconds remaining that setup up Portland's 90-89 victory over Miami Jan. 10 . . . Scored 24 points 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 . . . Was named NBA Player of The Week for the period ending March 31 for his role in his team's 4-0 run, averaging 20.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots and 2.0 assists while converting 35 of 54 field goal attempts for a .648 percentage . . . Portland's third leading scorer and second leading rebounder despite averaging just 23.8 minutes per contest and starting just 19 games . . . Scored in double figures 56 times in 71 games, including 23 of his last 26, and has had 20 or more in 17 games . . . His team-best consecutive free throws string of 35 in a row ended Sunday when he missed the second of two in the game's final minute . . . Seventh in the league in field goal accuracy (.544), 29th in rebounding (8.1 rpg), and 35th in blocked shots (1.07 bpg). . .He's fifth in scoring (14.5 ppg), second in rebounding, ninth in assists (1.8 apg), ninth in steals (0.85), and seventh in blocked shots, and fifth in free throw percentage (.757) 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. Seattle this season: Averaged 13.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks, 23.0 minutes in three games. HARVEY GRANT . . . . . vs. the Spurs Monday: 8 points (4-9 fgs), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 29 minutes . . . vs. the Grizzlies Sunday: 7 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 38 minutes . . . vs. the Mavs Thursday: 8 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 27 minutes . . . Scored season and game-high 24 points vs. San Antonio Jan. 26---his 11 field goals and 20 attempts were the most since the 1993-94 season . . Had a season- high 12 rebounds along with 13 points versus Charlotte Dec. 14 for his first double-double of the season . . . Recorded a career-high six steals plus 14 points and 9 rebounds in the Dec. 10 win over Houston . . . Has scored in double figures 25 times, and led the Blazers in scoring and rebounding once each . . . Missed five games in December with a sprained left foot . . . vs. Seattle this season: Averaged 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, 30.0 minutes in three games. AARON McKIE . . . . . vs. the Spurs Monday: 15 points (6-11 fgs, 1-4 3pt, 2-2 fts), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 23 minutes . . . vs. the Grizzlies Sunday: 7 points, team-high 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block, 33 minutes . . . vs. the Mavs Thursday: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 17 minutes . . . Recorded his first double-double of the season and the third of his career vs. the Spurs Jan. 26---11 points and a career high- equalling 10 rebounds . . . Played a career-high 46 minutes and scored 21 ponts vs. the Cavs Jan. 21 . . . Scored a career-high equalling 24 points at New York Jan. 2 . . . Has scored in double figures 42 times and had 20 or more four times . . . Team leader in scoring four times, rebounding twice and assists six times . . . Current Blazers leader in consecutive games played with 78 . . . Broke the zygomatic arch under his left eye during fall camp on Oct. 25 . . Returned to action wearing a facemask Nov. 5 and played his first game without it at Orlando on Dec. 3 . . . . . vs. Seattle this season: Averaged 12.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 24.7 minutes in three games. GARY TRENT . . . . . vs. the Spurs Monday: Scored 4 points and grabbed 2 rebounds in 1 minute of action . . . Did not play vs. the Grizzlies Sunday (coach's decision) . . . vs. the Mavs Thursday: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 6 minutes . . . Scored a team-high 17 points and had a career and team-high 5 assists vs. Houston 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 . . . Registered a game high and career high-equalling 11 rebounds vs. Minnesota Feb. 7 . . . Scored a career-high 21 points 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 (.515) . . . His 7.6 ppg ranks 14th among the league's rookies in scoring and he's 15th among first-year players in rebounding (3.4 per game average) . . . Scored in double figures in 25 of 67 outings . . . Was acquired (along with a conditional 1996 first round draft pick) from Milwaukee in exchange for the draft rights to Shawn Respert . . . . vs. Seattle this season: Scoreless with 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 12 minutes of two games. Did not play (coach's decision) in April 6 game. JAMES ROBINSON . . . . . vs. the Spurs Monday: 14 points (5-9 fgs, 2-3 3pt, 2-4 fts), 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 21 minutes . . . vs. the Grizzlies Sunday: 15 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 24 minutes---hit game-tieing three-pointer with 56 seconds remaining to set up the two-point victory . . . vs. the Mavs Thursday: 10 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 block, 22 minutes . . . 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 49 games this season . . . Has scored in double figures 30 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. Seattle this season: Averaged 17.0 points (second best on team), 1.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 27.7 minutes in three games. DONTONIO WINGFIELD . . . . . vs. the Spurs Monday: Scoreless with 1 rebounds in 6 minutes . . . vs. the Grizzlies Sunday: Scoreless with 1 rebound in 2 minutes . . . vs. the Mavs Thursday: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 18 minutes before fouling out with 19.5 seconds remaining, the first DQ of his career . . . Scored career-high 17 points and had 7 rebounds and career-high 5 assists in a career-high 39 minutes vs. Indiana Mar. 10 . . . 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. Seattle this season: Averaged 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 7.0 minutes in two games. Did not play (coach's decision) in Jan. 29 loss. RUMEAL ROBINSON . . . . . vs. the Spurs Monday: 4 points (2-5 fgs, 0-2 fts), 1 assist, 1 steal, 13 minutes . . . vs. the Grizzlies Sunday: 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 24 minutes in his 11th start of the season . . . vs. the Mavs Thursday: 7 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 14 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 . . . 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 after playing the last two seasons in the CBA . . . A 1st round draft choice by Atlanta (10th overall) in 1990, he played four seasons in the NBA with Atlanta, New Jersey and Charlotte . . . Led Michigan in scoring in 1990 as was a key player in the Wolverine's run for the 1989 NCAA Championship . . . . . vs. Seattle this season: Averaged 2.0 points, 61.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 6.0 minutes in two games. ELMORE SPENCER . . . . vs. the Spurs Monday: scoreless with 1 rebound, 1 assist in 1 minute . . . vs. the Grizzlies Sunday: Did not play (coach's decision) . . . vs. the Mavs Thursday: 2 points (1-1 fgs), 4 minutes . . . 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 . . . All-American honorable mention as a senior at UNLV . . . . vs. Seattle this season: Did not play (coach's decision) in either game.