PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS vs. UTAH JAZZ FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF, GAME NO. 2 APRIL 27, 1996 Battling in Salt Lake City --- The Portland Trail Blazers, 0-1 in the Western Conference First Round Playoffs after losing to Utah, 110-102, in the Delta Center Thursday, will be looking change their fortunes and even up their best-of-five series when they take on the Jazz in the same building on Saturday. Salt Lake City has proved to be a tough place for the Blazers to win over the past eight seasons where they now have lost six of eight playoff engagements since 1988. A Portland victory Saturday would reduce the series to a best-of-three battle with the next two games slated for Portland Monday and Wednesday (if needed). The Blazers, 44- 38 in regular season, are making their 14th straight post-season appearance---the NBA's longest current consecutive streak---and are looking to advance to the Semifinals for the first time since winning the Western Conference title in 1992. Portland lost the regular season series to Utah, three games to one. Jazz rally stops Blazers --- Portland built a 12-point halftime lead, 56- 44, and was still ahead, 91-90, with 5:36 remaining in the game, but Utah rallied to pull out a 110-102 victory Thursday in the Delta Center and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five First Round Playoff series. Rod Strickland and Arvydas Sabonis both had big games for Portland. Strickland scored a team-high 27 points and dished out 12 assists, and Sabonis tallied 26 points, including an all-time Blazers playoff record 16 of 20 free throws. Clifford Robinson added 21 points for the Blazers, who shot 46 percent (31-68) from the field. John Stockton distributed an all-time Blazers playoff opponent record 23 assists (one short of his NBA playoff mark), Karl Malone tallied 33 points and Jeff Hornacek scored 30 points to lead the Jazz parade. Utah shot a blistering 58 percent (38-66) from the floor. Portland, led by Chris Dudley's 10 rebounds, had a 39-29 edge on the boards. Another honor for Sabonis --- Arvydas Sabonis, Portland's 7-3 center from Lithuania who is being prominently mentioned for a pair of major season honors, has been named Schick Rookie of the Month for April for his role in the Blazers finishing the month with an 8-3 record. Sabonis averaged 16.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 blocked shots while playing 25.5 minutes per game in 10 outings in April. Sabonis, who was NBA Player of the Week for the period ending March 31, was instrumental in Portland winning 18 of its last 24 games after he moved into the starting lineup. He is gaining support for both NBA Rookie of the Year and the NBA Sixth Man Award honors. He became the first Portland rookie since 1981 to score more than 1,000 points (1,058) and the fifth best rookie rebounder in Blazers history (581). The fourth post-season duel --- Portland and Utah are going at it in the post-season for the fourth time, and for the second time in the First Round. In 1988, the Blazers took Game 1 of their First Round matchup with Utah before dropping three consecutive contests and suffering elimination at the hands of the Jazz. The Blazers topped the Jazz in the 1991 Western Conference Semifinals, 4-1, and were 4-2 against them in the 1992 Western Conference Finals. Playoff record vs. the Jazz --- After Thursday's loss to Utah, the Blazers' all-time playoff record against the Jazz reads 9-7, and is 1-4 in First Round action. Portland is now 2-6 all-time on the road against Utah in post-season action, including 0-3 in First Round games played on the Jazz's floor. Game 1 record --- Portland now has a 14-18 (.448) won-loss ledger in first games of its 32 all-time playoff series . . . The Blazers are 6-12 (.333) all-time in the opening game of First Round series, and are 1-8 (.111) when the First Round begins on the road . . . Overall, Portland is 4-12 (.250) when it opens a playoff series away from home. . . Portland has come back from an 0-1 deficit to win a series only twice in 31 previous playoff appearances and only once in the First Round . . . The first time the Blazers did it was after losing the first two games of the 1977 NBA Finals to Philadelphia then winning four straight to take the championship . . . They lost the opener to Dallas in 1985 then won three in a row to advance to the Semifinals where they eventually fell to the Lakers in five games. Game 2 record --- The Blazers are 22-9 (.710) overall in second games of playoff series and are 7-8 (.467) when the second game of a series takes place on on the road . . . In second games of First Round series, the Blazers have a 12-5 (.705) mark and are 4-4 (.500) when the second contest is away from home. In First Round series --- The Blazers have won six of 17 First Round playoff series in franchise history. Portland has been victorious in two (1983, 1985) of six First Round series in which they haven't held the homecourt advantage, and has dropped the last four First Round matchups (1986, 1989, 1994, 1995) they entered without the homecourt edge. 1995-96 vs. Utah --- After posting their first-ever regular season win at the Rose Garden on Nov. 5, a 109-105 victory over the Jazz, the Blazers dropped their next three Utah matchups. In their four contests this season with the Jazz, Portland averaged 94.8 points, 38.0 rebounds and 18.3 assists per contest and charted a .451 field goal percentage. Utah averaged 103.3 points, 36.5 boards and 27.0 assists while shooting .525 from the floor. Clifford Robinson (28.0), Rod Strickland (19.5) and Chris Dudley (10.3) were the only Blazers to average double-digits in points for the series. Dudley was the Blazers leading rebounder in the set, averaging 10.5 per game. Two in a row for P.J. --- Last year, Blazers head coach P.J. Carlesimo guided the his club to a 44-38 regular season record. Carlesimo became the first NBA coach in 25 years to have moved directly from college to a head coaching job in the pros and post a winning mark in his first season. The last coach to make that successful jump in his first season was Cotton Fitzsimmons, who went from Kansas State to Phoenix and led the Suns to a 48-34 ledger in 1970-71. This year, the Blazers recorded another 44-38 record and allowed Carlesimo to become one of only five coaches in NBA history to record an overall winning record after his first two seasons out of the collegiate ranks. An incredible turnaround --- At the beginning of March, 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 winning the NBA crown in 1977. Since March 8, they staged an incredible turnaround. They won 18 of 21 games, are seven games above the break-even mark and go into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the West. In the 18-3 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 21 opponents by 9.6 points a game, outrebounded them by 10.0 a game and limited their opponents to a combined field goal mark of 41 percent while converting at a 46 percent rate themselves. Portland has held 15 of its 21 opponents under 100 points, scored double-digit wins eight times and had cushions of 21 or more points in five of the victories. Red Hot --- After it started the run of successes on March 8, Portland was one of the league's hottest teams along with division champions Seattle, Chicago and San Antonio. The Blazers compiled an 18-4 record in the six-week span---(.818). In the same time frame Chicago was 18-3 (.857), San Antonio 19-5 (.792), and Seattle 18-5 (.783). A win away --- The 1995-96 Trail Blazer squad was one win away from accomplishing what no other club in the franchise history has done: After Sunday's season-ending loss to the Lakers, Portland's record for March and April read 19-6, the same as the 1990-91 team which finished 19-6 for the two months, including an all-time best April of 10-1, and ended up with the franchise's best record ever, 63-19. The year before, when they went to the NBA Finals against Detroit, the Blazers were 21-6 in March and April. This year's 8-3 record for the month of April was the third best in club's history behind 10-1 in 1990-91 and 8-2 in 1989-90. Tough defense --- Portland held its opponents to an all-time low .442 field goal shooting mark, well under the club's previous low for a season, .449 by the 1977-78 team . . . The .442 field goal mark by opponents was the fifth lowest in the NBA for the season . . . Portland opponents have been held to a 97.0 points per game average, 2.2 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. Down the stretch ---The Blazers held nine of their last 22 opponents below the 40 percent mark in field goal shooting, and 13 below 43 percent. Collectively, the 22 foes managed to make just .411 of their shots from the floor . . . In the same 22 games, the Portland offense clicked at a .464 field goal rate, including nine games when they converted 50 percent or more of their shots . . . Portland outscored its last 21 foes by an average of 9.0 points a game, held 18 of them under 100 points and nine under 90. Hitting the boards --- Portland, one of the league's premier rebounding teams over the last eight seasons (never finishing lower than fifth), did it again. The Blazers outrebounded 22 of their last 27 opponents, averaged 47.9 retrieves in their last 22 games while grabbing an average of 10.2 more misses a game than their opponents, claimed 50 off the boards eight times in those 22 games and 24 times total this season . . . The Blazers led the NBA in defensive rebounding percentage (.734), are third in total rebounding percentage (.534), and sixth in offensive rebounding (.334). For the season, Portland is outrebounded its opponents by six a game. . . 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 32nd among league's leaders with 9.0 and 8.1 per game averages respectively. Looking back at 1995-96 --- Of the Blazers 44 victories, 33 were by 6 points or more, 21 were by 10 points or higher, and six were by more than 20 points . . . Conversely, 21 of the Blazers' 38 setbacks have been by five points or less and 11 have been by three or under . . . The Blazers are 7-11 in games decided by three points or less and 11-21 when the margin was five points or under but 21-11 when the difference was 10 points or more . . . Portland was 39-9 when leading going into the fourth quarter and 5-29 when tied or behind . . . It was 32-12 when holding the lead at halftime and 10-24 when trailing . . . The Blazers were 29-18 when leading after one quarter and 14-20 when behind or tied . . . They were 28-9 when scoring more than 100 points and 31-14 when limiting opponents to under 100 points . . . Portland was 15-23 against teams with better than .500 records and 29-15 with teams at .500 or under . . . Portland was 20-4 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field and 27-7 when keeping opponents at 43 percent or under . . . In winning 44 games, the Blazers victory margin averaged 11.1 points; in its 37 losses, the margin is 7.9 points a game. . . Portland had its 17th winning season in the last 20 years . . . The Blazers are making their 14th consecutive playoff appearance, the longest such streak in the league and are in post- season play for the 18th time in the last 19 years . . . Seven victories ago the Blazers chalked up their 22nd consecutive season with at least 37 wins. The closest any team in the league can come to that number in the 22 seasons is Seattle with at least 31 wins each year. Blazers playoff notes --- The Blazers have played in more post season contests since the 1990 NBA Playoffs than all but three teams in the league. Going into this season's post-season action only the Chicago Bulls (94), New York Knicks (76) and Phoenix Suns (72) have logged more playoff games than the Trail Blazers (69) during that stretch. Rounding out the top six are the Houston Rockets (64) and the Utah Jazz (56) . . . Portland is one of only two teams in the history of the league to bounce back from an 0-2 deficit and win a championship. The Blazers were down 0-2 to Philadelphia in 1977 before winning the next four to win the championship in their first try . . . The Blazers, who have been in the Playoffs 18 of the last 19 years, have missed being in post-season action only seven times in the franchise's history . . . Portland is the only franchise to come into the league in the past quarter century to win an NBA Championship . . . The Blazers have been in 31 previous playoff series, and not counting the three-game First Round matchups prior to 1984, they been involved in only three series that have required the maximum number of games for a decision. GAME NO. 3 IN THE GARDEN --- The scene of First Round playoff action between the Blazers and Jazz changes to Portland Monday as the Rose Garden hosts its first-ever NBA playoff game beginning at 7:30 p.m. (BlazerVision, KEX radio). Game 4 (if necessary) is scheduled for Wednesday in Portland (6:30 p.m., BlazerVision, KEX radio) and Game 5 (if necessary) would be back at the Delta Center on Sunday, May 5 (time TBA). PLAYER NOTES CHRIS DUDLEY --- Game 1 vs. Utah: 4 points (2-4 fgs), game-high and career playoff-high 10 rebounds, 26 minutes . . . Led team in rebounding and blocked shots for regular the season . . . Rebounding leader in 42 games . . . Recorded 31 double-digit rebounding games and had 12 or more in 18 games . . . Scored in double figures 12 times . . . Registered 8 double-doubles . . . Ranked 21st in the league in rebounding with an 8.9 average and 27th in blocked shots with a 1.23 average . . . Averaged 5.1 points while playing in 80 games and starting 61 . . . Had appeared in 103 consecutive games before missing the Dec. 10 Houston game with a bruised sternum . . . Sat out the March 8 Sacramento contest due to a sinus infection . . . Grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds at Charlotte Dec. 14 . . . Turned in a season-high 6 blocked shots at Minnesota Nov. 10 . . . Scored season-high 13 points versus Washington Dec. 17 . . . Had key block of an Alonzo Mourning shot at the buzzer to preserve a one-point victory over Miami Jan. 10 . . . In four regular season games vs. Utah this season: Averaged 10.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks, shot team-best 63 percent (17-27) from the field and was 70 percent (7-10) from the line. HARVEY GRANT --- Game 1 vs. Utah: 4 points (2-5 fgs, 0-1 3pt, 0-4 fts), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 37 minutes . . . Started 75 regular season games, 66 at forward and nine at guard . . . Scored in double figures in 28 games . . . Led the team in points and rebounds once each . . . Averaged 9.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 31.5 minutes in 76 games . . . Converted 21 three-pointers after making just 14 in his first seven NBA seasons . . . Scored the 7,000th point of his career March 8 vs. Sacramento . . . Scored a season-high 24 points vs. San Antonio Jan. 26, his 11 field goals were the most for him since the 1993-94 season . . . Had a season-high 12 rebounds along with 13 points for his only double- double of the season . . . Came up with a career-high 6 steals in the Dec. 10 win over Houston . . . Missed five games in December with a sprained left foot . . . In four regular season games vs. Utah this season: Averaged 9.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 31.5 minutes. AARON McKIE --- Game 1 vs. Utah: 0 points (0-1 3pt), 2 steals, 16 minutes . . . Blazers regular season leader in consecutive games played with 81 . . . A starter in 73 games . . . Has scored in double figures 42 times and had 20 or more four times . . . Team leader in scoring four times, rebounding twice and assists eight times . . . Averaged 10.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.11 steals and 27.9 minutes per game . . . Is No. 12 on Blazers all-time three-point field goal list with 49 in two seasons . . . Scored a career-high equalling 24 points at New York Jan. 2 . . . Played a career-high 46 minutes vs. Cleveland Jan. 21 . . . Recorded his only double-double of the season and the third of his career vs. San Antonio Jan. 26---11 points and a career high-equalling 10 rebounds . . . Broke the zygomatic arch under his left eye during fall camp, missed the first game of the season then played the next 14 wearing a face mask to protect the injury . . . In four regular season games vs. Utah this season: Averaged 8.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals, 23.0 minutes. CLIFFORD ROBINSON --- Game 1 vs. Utah: 21 points (6-17 fgs, 2-6 3pt, 7-10 fts), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 39 minutes---the 7 free throws a playoff career high . . . Leading Blazers scorer for the second straight year and ranks 14th in the NBA with a 21.1 average . . . Has scored 20 or more points in 46 games and has topped the 30-point mark 11 times, including a career-high 41 points vs. Minnesota Jan. 7 . . . Led team in scoring in 37 games and has five double-doubles . . . Broke the one- season Blazers record for three-pointers with 178, the sixth highest total in the league . . . Connected on at least one trey in 74 games, including a stretch of 41 games in a row, and has five or more makes in seven games . . . Ranks third all-time among Blazers three-point leaders with 371 (behind Terry Porter and Clyde Drexler), making 320 of them in the last two seasons . . . Is among the top 10 career leaders for the Blazers in 16 of the 17 categories, including sixth in games played (562) and second in blocked shots (660) . . . Became only the seventh Blazer to top the 9,000-point mark---he now has 9,183 . . . Selected NBA Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 7, when he averaged 28.8 points in leading the Blazers to a 4-0 run, his first such honor . . . He missed four games in mid-year with a sprained left ankle and played in all but 11 of his 574 games in seven seasons as a Trail Blazer . . . Dished out a career-high 9 assists at the Clippers Nov. 21 . . . Had career-high 6 steals at Seattle April 17 . . . Played a career-high 53 minutes in the Mar. 10 double overtime win over Indiana, scoring a game-high 37 points, including all five points by either team in the second OT . . . Attempted a career-high 19 free throws in the Nov. 5 win over Utah . . . Ranks 19th in the league in minutes played with a 38.8 average . . . In three regular season games vs. Utah this season: Averaged a team-high 28.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, 41.3 minutes . . . In 12 career playoff games against vs. the Jazz: Has averaged 9.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 blocks, 0.9 steals, and 23.9 minutes and shot 40 percent from the field (42-104) and 60 percent from the free throw line (25-42). JAMES ROBINSON --- Game 1 vs. Utah: 3 points (1-5 fgs, 1-3 3pt), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block, 14 minutes . . . Has 102 three-pointers this season, only the ninth time in franchise history a player has topped the century mark in one season . . . Ranks No. 4 all-time among Blazers long-range shooters with 201 treys . . . Played in 76 games, five of them as a starter . . . Scored in double figures 30 times and topped the 20- point mark twice . . . Registered a career-high 4 steals Jan. 7 vs. Minnesota and tied his career best with 7 rebounds at Minnesota Nov. 10 . . . Scored a season-high 22 points versus Cleveland Jan. 21 . . . Twice this season has swished a game-winning three-pointer inside the final second, doing it first at the Lakers on Nov. 21 then duplicated the feat at Toronto Feb. 5 . . . Also hit a big three-pointer with 56 seconds to go at Vancouver on April 14 that tied the game and allowed the Blazers to come from behind to win . . . Has led the team in scoring twice and in assists six times . . . Has averaged 8.5 points, 2.1 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 21.4 minutes this season . . . Missed the entire pre-season after suffering a fracture of the fourth metcarpal in his left hand in fall camp . . . In three regular season games vs. Utah this season: Averaged 9.0 points, 1.3 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 22.0 minutes. RUMEAL ROBINSON --- Game 1 vs. Utah: 8 points (3-4 fgs, 2-3 3pt), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 7 minutes . . . Registered a double-double, 18 points and 13 assists, in his first start as a Trail Blazer in a Feb. 22 win at Denver . . . Started 14 of the 43 games he has played in since joining the team as a free agent on Jan. 10 . . . Has scored in double figures 11 times, including a season-high 20 points in 31 minutes at Miami on March 1 . . . Averaged 5.7 points, 3.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 16.6 minutes . . . A first-round draft choice by Atlanta in 1990, he played four seasons in the league with the Hawks, New Jersey and Charlotte . . . The last two season's he's averaged 20.2 points per game while playing in the CBA for Rapid City, Shreveport and Connecticut. He was Connecticut's leading scorer and fourth-ranked in the CBA before signing with Portland . . . In one regular season game vs. Utah this season, scored 2 points in 5 minutes. ARVYDAS SABONIS --- Game 1 vs. Utah: 26 points (5-11 fgs, 16-20 fts), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 34 minutes---his 16 free throws and 20 free throw attempts both Blazers playoff records . . . Is only the seventh Blazers rookie and the first in 15 years to score 1,000 or more points . . . With 1,058 points in 73 games, he is the first to do it since Kelvin Ransey tallied 1,217 points in 1980-81 . . . His 581 rebounds is fifth highest ever by a Blazers rookie . . . Is Portland's third leading scorer and second leading rebounder despite averaging less than a full half of action per game and starting just 21 games . . . Has scored in double figures in 58 of 73 games, including 25 of his last 28, and has had 20 or more points 17 times . . . Led the Blazers in scoring 11 times and in rebounding 23 times . . . Has 19 double-doubles . . . Ranks seventh in field goal accuracy in the NBA (.545), is 30th in rebounding (8.1) and 33rd in blocked shots (1.07) . . . NBA Player of the Week for the week ending March 31 for his role in the team's 4-0 record during which he averaged 20.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.3 blocked shots and 2.0 assists while making 35 of 54 field goals (.648) . . . Is among the NBA's top rookies in several categories including fifth in scoring average (14.5), second in rebounding (8.1), first in field goal percentage (.545) and sixth in free throw percentage (.757) . . . Has averaged 17.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 blocks since becoming a starter in the last 21 games during which the Blazers won 18 of 21 games . . . Scored season-high 26 points at Atlanta Feb. 28 and duplicated the feat Mar. 28 vs. Golden State . . . Grabbed a career high 17 rebounds vs. Sacramento Mar. 8 . . . Missed nine games due to back spasms, a virus infection and a sore knee. . . Scored 8 points and claimed 4 rebounds in 4 minutes of the Schick Rookie Game at the NBA All-Star Weekend in San Antonio . . . Named 1995 European Player of the Year . . . Considered to be one of the best European players ever, he led Club Real Madrid to the 1995 European Men's Club Championship and helped Lithuania take a Sliver Medal in the European Championship before joining the Blazers last September . . . In four regular season games vs. Utah this season: Averaged 7.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and 21.8 minutes. ELMORE SPENCER --- Game 1 vs. Utah: Did not play (coach's decision) . . . Has played sparingly as a backup to centers Arvydas Sabonis and Chris Dudley . . . Appeared in 11 games, averaging 1.3 points and 0.8 rebounds and 3.4 minutes per outing . . . Scored a season-high 5 points vs. Minnesota March 19 . . . Signed as a free agent by the Blazers on Jan. 10 . . . Drafted in the 1st round (25th selection) by the Clippers in 1992 after earning All-American honorable mention as a senior at UNLV . . . He played for the Clippers for three seasons before being traded to Denver for Brian Williams. He was released after six games at Denver in November. ROD STRICKLAND --- Game 1 vs. Utah: Team-high 27 points (8-16 fgs, 2-4 3pt, 9-11 fts), team-high 12 assists, 1 steal, 41 minutes . . . Among the league's top assists producers and Portland's second leading scorer . . . Ranks fourth in the NBA in assists with a 9.6 per game average . . . The 9.6 average is the second highest in franchise history behind Terry Porter's 10.1 mark in 1987-88 . . . His 640 assists in 67 games is the seventh highest total ever in Portland . . . Is the team's second-leading scorer with an 18.7 per game average . . . Leads the team in double- doubles with 33 . . . Has scored in double figures in all but four of his 67 games, has been over the 20-point mark in 26 games and has topped 30 points twice, including a season-high 32 points vs. Houston Dec. 10 . . . Has dished out double-digit assists in 33 games and has distributed 12 or more 20 times . . . Tied his career high at Houston March 30 with 20 assists . . . Played a career-high 50 minutes in a Dec. 30 two-OT loss at Cleveland . . . Ranks among the leading rebounding point guards in the league with a 4.4 per game average . . . Is 21st in the league in minutes played with a 37.7 average . . . Has missed 15 games this season with injuries and a six-game suspension . . . Suffered a ruptured blood vessel in his left eye on Jan. 18 and was out for three games than has been sidelined six games because of a nagging strained left groin . . . Is third only to Terry Porter and Clyde Drexler on Portland's career assists list with 2,501 and ranks 16th among all-time Blazers scorers with 4,935 points . . . He stands seventh all-time in Blazers three-pointers with 90 and is 10th in steals (498) . . . In four regular season games vs. Utah this season: Averaged 19.5 points, 7.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 38.5 minutes. GARY TRENT --- Game 1 vs. Utah: Did not play (coach's decision) . . . Scored in double figures in 25 of 69 games in his rookie season while averaging 7.5 points per game . . . Ranks 14th in scoring among the league's rookies and 15th in rebounding (3.5 per game) . . . His .513 field goal percentage was second highest on the team and ranks second among all NBA rookies . . . Started 10 games and the Blazers were 7-3 when he was in the opening lineup . . . Led team in scoring three times and in rebounding four times . . . Recorded five double-doubles . . . Scored a career-high 21 points against Phoenix on Jan. 19 . . . His first career double included 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds versus Toronto Dec. 7 . . . Matched the 11 rebound high against Minnesota Feb. 7 . . . Scored a team-high 17 points and had a career-high 5 assists versus Houston March 5 before breaking the ring finger on his right hand with 1:05 remaining in the game . . . Missed two games because of the injury . . . In four regular season games vs. Utah this season: Averaged 8.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 20.0 minutes while shooting .583 (14-24) from the field. BUCK WILLIAMS --- Game 1 vs. Utah: 6 points (3-4 fgs, 0-1 3pt), 5 rebounds, 1 block, 23 minutes . . . Became only the eighth player in NBA history to reach 16,000 points and 12,000 rebounds when he scored a layin at the 10:57 mark of the second quarter of the March 31 game at Dallas . . . His career numbers for 15 seasons now read 16,117 points and 12,437 rebounds, putting him in the exclusive company of Kareem- Abdul Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes, Robert Parish, Walt Bellamy and Bob Pettit, all of whom previously reached those plateaus . . . Ranks No. 57 all-time in NBA scoring, eighth in games played (1,192) and ninth in minutes played (40,230) . . . Leads the Blazers in career field goal shooting with a .550 percentage, is the team's fourth highest rebounder all-time with 4,851 in seven seasons, ranks seventh in games played (556) and 12th in scoring (5,659 points) and is in the club's top 10 in six other categories . . . Has averaged 7.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 23.9 minutes in 70 games this season . . . Celebrated his 36th birthday Mar. 22 with a season-high 21 points and 11 rebounds against Sacramento . . . Had a season-high 15 rebounds plus 17 points Jan. 10 versus Miami . . . Scored in double figures 21 times and had four double-doubles . . . Saw his first action of the season vs. Chicago Nov. 27 after missing the first 12 games with a torn tendon in his left thumb . . . In his previous 14 years, spanning 1,148 games, he had missed only 23 games because of injury . . . In three regular season games versus Utah this season: Averaged 0.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 20.0 minutes . . . In 11 career playoff games versus Utah, has averaged 7.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 0.6 blocked shots, 0.8 steals, shot 47 percent from the field and 78 percent from the line. DONTONIO WINGFIELD --- Game 1 vs. Utah: 3 points (1-1 3pt), 1 rebound, 3 minutes . . . Started two games at forward at the beginning of the season . . . Appeared in 44 games and averaged 3.8 points and 2.4 rebounds while averaging 11.1 minutes per game . . . Scored a career- high 17 points, had 7 rebounds and a career-high 5 assists in a career- high 39 minutes in the March 10 double-overtime victory over Indiana . . . Fouled out with 19.5 seconds remaining of the April 11 win at Dallas, the first DQ of his career . . . Signed as a free agent on Oct. 5, 1995 . . . Was taken by Seattle in the second round of the 1994 NBA College Draft and played in 20 games for the Sonics during the 1994-95 season . . . Played one year at the University of Cincinnati before entering the college draft . . . In two regular season games versus Utah this season: Averaged 1.5 points, 0.5 rebounds and 11.0 minutes, including one start.