PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS at UTAH JAZZ GAME NO. 29 --- DEC. 26, 1996 TWO ON THE ROAD --- The Trail Blazers, 14-14, will be looking to bounce back from a 22-point homecourt loss to Washington when they open a two-game road trip Thursday at Utah. They will take on the Clippers Friday in Los Angeles before returning home to face San Antonio Sunday in the Rose Garden. Portland, which has lost two in a row and five of its last six games, is still two wins ahead of where it was a year ago after 28 games. The Blazers, 8-3 overall and 3-2 on the road against Midwest Division teams so far, will be playing in their most unfriendly venue in the league when they visit the Jazz in the Delta Center. Portland has lost seven in a row and nine of its last 10 in Salt Lake City and all-time has won just eight of 49 regular season contests on the Jazz floor. Loss of Rasheed Wallace, the Blazers No. 4 scorer and the NBA's leading field goal shooter, with a broken thumb suffered in the second quarter of the Washington game, won t make the task in Utah any easier for Portland. The Monday loss to the Bullets dropped Portland's record for December to 4-8, assuring only the second losing mark for the month in 12 years. Portland, four games above .500 going into the month, is 3-5 on its own maple in December. PROBABLE STARTERS --- F--No. 3 Clifford Robinson (6-10), F--No. 33 Gary Trent (6-8), C--No. 11 Arvydas Sabonis (7-3), G--No. 34 Isaiah Rider (6-5), G--No. 7 Kenny Anderson (6-1). THE BLAZERS AND JAZZ --- Portland trails in its all-time series with Utah, 55-43, has lost three in a row and seven of its last nine matchups. The Blazers first clash with the Jazz last season resulted in a 109-105 victory but Utah took the next three to lock up their third straight season series. The Jazz home maple is the toughest place in all of the NBA for the Blazers to win; they have lost seven in a row and nine of their last 10 and all-time have won just 8 of 49 contests over 22 seasons. The Blazers last success in Salt Lake City came on Jan. 24, 1993, when they posted a 124-113 victory. At home, Portland owns a 35-14 advantage over Utah. THE BLAZERS & JAZZ LAST SEASON --- The Blazers registered their first win ever in their new Rose Garden, shutting off the Jazz, 109-105, on Nov. 5. Clifford Robinson led six Blazers in double-figure scoring as Portland hit 52 percent of its shots. But Utah came back and claimed victories in the next three matchups, including 114-104 and 96-72 wins in the Delta Center, and 98-94 in Portland. Robinson, who missed Game 3 with a sprained ankle, averaged 28.0 points in three contests to lead all Blazers scorers in the series, including 33 in the four-point homecourt loss on Jan. 31. Karl Malone averaged 32.5 ppg to lead the Jazz, including an all-time series high 47 points in Game 2. Portland shot 45 percent and Utah 53 percent in the four games and the Blazers had a 38.0-36.5 rebounding edge. WALLACE FRACTURES THUMB --- Second-year forward Rasheed Wallace, who has been filling the hoop at a torrid pace most of the season and was the league field goal percentage leader after Monday's games, has been lost to the Blazers for an indefinite period with a broken left thumb. The injury, the same that kept him from the last 15 games of his rookie season at Washington last year, came in the second quarter of Monday's loss to the Bullets. Before he left the floor, he had made both of his field goal attempts, raising his league-best percentage to .588 on 170 of 289. Last Saturday, Rasheed scored a career-high 38 points at Sacramento while pouring in 17 of 25 field goal attempts. In his last six games, he had burned the nets at a .697 clip, making good on 46 of 66 shots. His current field goal percentage mark is 100 percentage points better than the .487 he shot in his rookie season at Washington last year. He's currently scoring at a 15.2 ppg pace, third highest for the Blazers, after averaging 10.1 ppg in 65 games for the Bullets last year. ON OFFENSE --- Averaging 97.8 ppg, the Blazers offense is the eighth most productive in the league . . . Portland has hit at a 51 percent or better clip in eight of 28 games thus far and its field goal accuracy mark of .452 is the league's 12th highest . . . In winning 14 games, the Blazers margin of victory has been 15.6 ppg, nine times the cushion has been 11 points or more and five have been plus-20 victories . . . Seven of the Blazers 14 losses have been by five points or less and five have been by three or under . . . Portland is 9-5 in games decided by 11 points or more but 3-6 when the margin is four points or under . . . Overall, Portland's edge over its opponents of 3.4 points per game is the NBA's tenth best mark. ON THE DEFENSE . . . Portland has held opponents to .431 field goal shooting in 28 games, the eighth stingiest defense in the league . . . In winning 14 games, the Blazers have held 12 of their opponents under 100 points and have allowed only ten of 28 foes to top the century mark thus far . . . Their defensive average, 94.3, is the 11th lowest in the league and is 2.7 points per game below last year's club record of 97.0 ppg in 82 games. THE REBOUNDING LEADER --- Portland, perennially among the NBA's top teams on the backboards, leads the the league in total rebounding percentage---the share of total misses in a game a team rebounds---(.539), and is second in defensive rebounding percentage (.729) and third in offensive percentage (.348). The Blazers, who grabbed a season-high 55 rebounds last Friday against Dallas, have had 50 or more boards in seven outings, and have been outrebounded in only five of 28 games. They have an overall advantage of 7.1 boards per game and a 4.6 per game margin on the defensive glass. Portland, among top five teams in the league for the past nine years, is the leader again this season despite not having an individual among the league's top 35 rebounders. (Note: Rebounding percentages on offense are based on the share of its own misses a team retrieves, and on the defense the share of opponents misses it grabs. Total rebounding percentage is an average of the offense and defense percentages.) AMONG THE NBA LEADERS ---RASHEED WALLACE, first in field goal percentage---.588 (170-289) ---ARVYDAS SABONIS, 22nd in field goal percentage---.498 (118-237) and 18th in blocked shots (1.54) --- KENNY ANDERSON , 14th in assists (6.4), is 15th in steals (1.84), and 27th in scoring (18.2) --- CHRIS DUDLEY, 21st in blocked shots (1.46) --- CLIFFORD ROBINSON, 9th in minutes played (39.9) THE LAST THREE GAMES HIT BY THE BULLETS --- Portland had a 31-29 lead after the first 12 minutes but then was outscored by Washington, 54-29, in the middle two panels and never recovered as the Bullets ran out of the Rose Garden with a 106-84 victory on Monday. It was the Blazers' third straight loss to Washington and the biggest homecourt setback ever at the hands of the Atlantic Division team. Arvydas Sabonis topped Portland scoring with 23 points but Washington countered with Juwan Howard's season-high 27 points and 25 from Chris Webber. Howard tallied 25 of his points in the game's first 20 minutes. Portland shot .410 from the field (34-83) while the Bullets fired at a .524 clip (43-82), a Portland opponent season high. The Blazers were outrebounded for only the fifth time this season, 46-33. Sabonis eight boards was tops for Portland. OT WITH THE KINGS REVISITED --- Rasheed Wallace scored a career-high 38 points at the ARCO Center Saturday, but Sacramento, behind Mitch Richmond's season-high 37 points and his layin with less than a second remaining, pulled out a 101-99 overtime win. It was Portland's second straight OT setback on the road and marked the second time in as many games between the Kings and Blazers the action has gone beyond regulation. Portland won, 92-90, in overtime when the two teams last met on Nov. 19. Wallace's career effort came on 17 of 25 field goals, also career bests. Portland shot .469 (38-81) from the field while holding the Kings to a .409 (36-88) chart, and outrebounded its hosts, 46-43. The loss gave Sacramento a 2-1 lead in this year's series. The final meeting of the year is scheduled for March 18 in Portland. Total point difference in the three clashes so far is five, and all three games have been decided with shots inside the final minute. BLAZERS ROLL OVER MAVS --- The Blazers led by only four at halftime, 49-45, but put on the defensive clamps in the second half to shackle Dallas with a 107-77 loss last night in the Rose Garden. It was Portland's fifth win in a row over Dallas, its second biggest victory of the season, and it snapped a three-game losing streak. The Trail Blazers outscored the Mavs, 31-10, in the third period to turn the game around. The 10 Dallas points equalled an all-time opponent low for the third stanza and was the fewest points in a quarter this season versus Portland. The Blazers shot 50 percent (41-82) and had 14 more field goals than the Mavericks who were limited to a .338 field goal chart (27-80). Portland dominated the boards with a season-best 55 rebounds (to 29 by Dallas). Clifford Robinson topped the Blazers with 21 points, Isaiah Rider and Gary Trent each added 18 and Reggie Jordan, playing his first game in more than a month had 8 points and tied his career-high with nine rebounds. Chris Gatling led the Mavs with 16 points. GOING OVERTIME --- Last Saturday's 101-99 loss at Sacramento marked the sixth time in the Blazers first 27 games action has gone into overtime, the same number Portland had all of last season. It was the the fifth OT outing in the last 16 games. The Blazers, who are now 2-4 in extra-session contests this season, have played more overtime games than any team in the league and are now just two away from equalling the club record for one year. In 1992-93, Portland went into overtime eight times, winning five of the games. Saturday's game was the second straight OT on the road; the Blazers dropped a 102-101 heartbreaker at the Lakers on Dec. 13. Other overtime decisions included 95-94 and 92-90 wins over Minnesota and Sacramento respectively, and losses of 102-101 to Houston, and 98-93 to Indiana. YOUTH MOVEMENT --- The Blazers club is the NBA's youngest and least experienced team. At the start of the season, the team averaged 25.63 years of age, and 2.47 years NBA experience per player. Two seasons ago, Portland averaged 29.28 years in age and 6.93 years of experience, with both figures being the highest in the league. Not only is the team's 15-player averages lower than even the league's two newest expansion franchises, but Portland's roster includes eight players performing in Blazers uniforms for the first time. Chris Dudley, in his 10th year, and Clifford Robinson, in his eighth, are the team's most experienced players. Kenny Anderson is in his sixth season but none of the others have been in the league more than three years. FOUR BLAZERS ON ALL-STAR BALLOT --- Guards Kenny Anderson and Isaiah Rider, forward Clifford Robinson and center Arvydas Sabonis are the Blazers on the 1997 McDonald's NBA All-Star Ballot. Ballots are being distributed to fans in the league's 29 arenas and to more than 12,000 McDonald's restaurants throughout the United States. Fans worldwide also have opportunity to vote via NBA.com, the league's official web site. In-arena balloting concludes Jan. 10. Starters for the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star teams will be announced Jan. 26. The 47th annual NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Cleveland's Gund Arena Feb. 9. BACK-TO-BACK --- Thursday's contest in the Delta Center opens the ninth of sets of back-to-back games (contests on consecutive nights) on the Blazers 1996-97 schedule. Friday night, Portland is in Los Angeles to tangle with the Clippers. The Blazers have broken even in the eight two-night combos so far, is 4-4 in first games of the sets and is 2-3 when the first game takes place on the road. SASHA SECOND IN EUROPEAN POLL --- Blazers guard Aleksandar (Sasha) Djordjevic has finished second in the 1995-96 European Player of the Year balloting. Results of the poll had FC Barcelona's Arturas Karnishovas edging out Sasha by 19 votes for the top honor. Last year, Blazers center Arvydas Sabonis received Europe's highest basketball honor. Djordjevic helped lead Yugoslavia to the Sliver Medal at the 1996 Olympics and was a leading scorer in the Italian League. Karnishovas also has a Blazers connection. He played for P.J. Carlesimo at Seton Hall and was a member of the Blazers Summer League team in 1994. ANDERSON'S ASSISTS COUNTING UP --- Point guard Kenny Anderson, has dished out 83 assists in his last nine games and now has 178 in 28 games. That means $3,560 so far for the Kids Making Miracles $1 million drive to fund a state-of-the-art health care facility at Portland's Doernbecher Children's Hospital. Anderson, honorary chairman of Kids Making Miracles, has pledged $20 for every assist he makes during the season. As part of the NBA's major youth initiative TeamUp, the Trail Blazers made a three-year commitment to help build public awareness of Kids Making Miracles efforts. Kids Make Miracles is a volunteer organization of hundreds of grade and high school students throughout Oregon and southwest Washington. P.J. CARLESIMO --- Head coach P.J. Carlesimo posted his 100th NBA career success Dec. 6 as his Blazers stopped Charlotte, 97-93. In his third season at the Portland helm, he became the fourth coach in franchise history to reach the century mark. The others are his three predecessors, Jack Ramsay (453-367), Mike Schuler (127-84) and Rick Adelman (291-154). Last season, Carlesimo guided Portland to a 44-38 record for the second year in a row. In 1994-95, he became only the second coach since Cotton Fitzsimmons in 1970-71 to move directly from the college to an NBA head coaching job and have a winning record in his first season. JAZZ, CLIPPERS NEXT --- Portland takes a two-day break for Christmas then hits the road, playing at Utah on Thursday (6 p.m., KEX Radio) and at the Los Angeles Clippers next Friday (7:30 p.m., KEX Radio). Next home game for Portland is Sunday, Dec. 29 against San Antonio (7:00 p.m., KEX Radio, BlazerVision). THE PLAYERS KENNY ANDERSON --- Monday vs. Washington: 12 pts (4-12 fgs, 2-4 3pt, 2-3 fts), 6 assists, 3 rbs, 3 steals, 1 block, 37 minutes . . . Saturday at the Kings: 11 pts, game-high 8 assists, 8 rbs, 2 steals, 44 minutes . . . Friday vs. Dallas: 7 pts, game-high 10 assists, 3 rbs, 2 steals, 25 minutes . . . 21 pts and 11 assists Dec. 18 vs. Seattle his team-best fourth double-double and 13th plus-20 game of the season . . . Scored a season-high 34 pts in a season-high 49 minutes Dec. 13 at the Lakers . . . Scored 32 points vs. Houston Nov. 26 . . . Had his first double-double of the season---11 pts, season-high 12 assists (and just two rebounds shy of his sixth career triple-double) Nov. 17 at Indiana. . . Team's leading scorer at 18.2 ppg, the assists leader (6.4 avg.) and tops in steals (1.84 avg.) . . . Ranks 27th in the NBA in scoring, 14th in assists, and 15th in steals . . . Signed as a free agent July 23 . . . Played last season with New Jersey and Charlotte, averaging 15.2 points and 8.3 assists in 69 games . . . Played the previous four years with New Jersey . . . Nets 1st round draft choice (2nd overall) in 1991 . . . Starting East guard in the 1994 NBA All-Star Game . . . New Jersey's all-time assists leader with 2,363 . . . Packs five-season career averages of 15.3 points and 7.9 assists. MARCUS BROWN --- On injured list (strained right groin) sustained in practice Oct. 29 . . . Portland's 2nd round draft pick (46th overall) in the 1996 NBA Draft . . . Second leading collegiate scorer in the nation last year at Murray State with a 26.4 average . . . Two-time Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year . . . All-time Murray State leader in steals, second in scoring and in the top 10 in seven other categories. MITCHELL BUTLER --- Monday vs. Washington: 5 pts (2-6 fgs, 0-2 3pt, 1-4 fts), 3 rbs, 1 assist, 13 minutes . . . Saturday at the Kings: 2 pts, 1 rb, 6 minutes . . . Friday vs. Dallas: 2 pts, 2 rbs, 1 assist, 12 minutes . . . Did not play (coach's decision) Wednesday vs. Seattle . . . Activiated Dec. 13 after spending previous five games on injured list (tendonitis, both knees) . . . Obtained in trade, along with Rasheed Wallace, with Washington for Rod Strickland and Harvey Grant on July 15 . . . Averaged 6.4 points in 212 games over three seasons with the Bullets . . . Not drafted by an NBA team, he was signed as a free agent by the Bullets in 1993 after playing in more games than any player in UCLA history . . . Captain of the 1992-93 Bruins. RANDOLPH CHILDRESS --- Did not play in last two games (coach's decision) . . . Friday vs. Dallas: 0 pts, 2 rbs, 1 assist, 5 minutes . . . Scored season-high 7 points vs. Vancouver Dec. 12 . . . Had career-high 6 assists, 3 steals, and a season-high 18 minutes vs. Denver Nov. 23 . . . Averaged 3.0 points in 28 games as a Blazers rookie last season before undergoing surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule and labrum in his left shoulder suffered in a Dec. 30 game at Cleveland . . . He missed the last 52 games of the season after averaging 3.0 points and 1.3 assists in his first 28 games . . . An All-American at Wake Forest, he was drafted by Detroit in the 1st round (19th) overall in 1995 and acquired in a trade involving Otis Thorpe on Sept. 20, 1995 . . . . vs. Utah last season: Averaged 8.0 pts, 2.5 assists, 1.0 rbs, 9.5 minutes in two games. ALEKSANDAR DJORDJEVIC --- Placed on injured list (upper respiratory infection) last Friday . . . Scoreless in 4 minutes in his last appearance Dec. 15 vs. Houston . . . Sank 5 of 7 three-pointers in his first eight games . . . Played in first regular season NBA game Nov. 29 versus Golden State, with his first field goal at the 3:17 mark of the final period on a driving layup. Finished with 2 pts, 1 rb in 5 minutes . . . Activated Nov. 26 after spraining his right ankle in the Oct. 25 preseason game with Vancouver and being on the injured list from the start of the season . . . Missed first four preseason games with strained groin and sore neck. . . Acquired by Portland as a free agent Sept. 24 . . . Runner-up for European Player of the Year honors in 1995-96 (see note on Page 2) . . . Helped lead Yugoslavia take the Silver Medal at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta . . . Yugoslavia's second leading scorer with an 11.3 ppg average and team leader in assists with 5.6 a game . . . Averaged 22.5 points in four years in the Italian League. CHRIS DUDLEY --- Monday vs. Washington: 2 pts (1-2 fgs), 2 rbs, 9 minutes . . . Saturday at the Kings: 5 pts, 7 rbs, 1 block, 28 minutes . . . Friday vs. Dallas: 6 pts, 8 rbs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 22 minutes . . . Blocked a season-high five shots Dec. 1 at Golden State . . . Had a season-high 13 rebounds at New Jersey Nov. 15 . . . Second on team in rebounding (7.3 rpg) and blocked shots (1.46) despite starting just two games thus far . . . Ranks 21st in the league in blocks . . . Blazers leader in rebounds and blocked shots last two seasons . . . Averaged 9.0 boards (21st highest in the NBA) and 1.25 blocks (25th in the league) last season . . . 10th year in the league, the team's longest tenured player . . . Named 1996 winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award presented annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association in recognition of outstanding community service and charitable work . . . vs. Utah last season: Portland's third leading scorer, averaging 10.3 pts (17-27 fgs), 10.5 rbs, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocked shots, 29.5 minutes in four starts. REGGIE JORDAN --- Monday vs. Washington: 4 pts (2-6 fgs, 0-2 fts), 5 rbs, 2 assists, 1 block, 17 minutes . . . Saturday at the Kings: 0 pts, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 9 minutes . . . Friday vs. Dallas: Scored season-high 8 pts (2-2 fgs, 4-6 fts), grabbed 9 rbs (tieing career high) plus season-high 3 assists and 23 minutes of play . . Activated Friday after being on injured list (injured joint, left thumb) since Nov. 26 . . . Signed as a free agent by Portland Aug. 30 . . . Previously played in the NBA with the Lakers and Hawks . . . In 47 previous NBA games averaged 4.7 points and 1.2 assists . . . Started 1995-96 with Sioux Falls of the CBA where he averaged 19.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists in 38 games and was named a starter in the 1996 CBA All-Star Game. AARON McKIE --- Monday vs. Washington: 6 pts (2-8 fgs, 0-2 3pt, 2-2 fts), 2 rbs, 3 assists, season-high 4 steals, 24 minutes . . . Saturday at the Kings: 5 pts, 4 rbs, 2 assists, 1 block, 28 minutes . . . Friday vs. Dallas: 2 pts, 2 rbs, 1 assist, 12 minutes . . . Played a season-high 41 minutes, scoring 7 points and dishing out 5 assists vs. Orlando Dec. 10 . . . Played in his 109th consecutive game Monday, the Blazers longest current run . . . Blazers fourth leading scorer last season (10.7 ppg) . . . Started 75 games last year at the two guard . . . Averaged 9.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his first 126 games as a Trail Blazer . . . First round draft choice (17th overall) by Portland in 1994 . . . vs. Utah last season: Averaged 8.0 pts, 1.5 assists, 1.0 rbs, 0.8 steals, 23.0 minutes in four games, including 3 starts. JERMAINE O'NEAL --- Monday vs. Washington: Career-high 8 pts (3-5 fgs, 2-4 fts), 2 rbs, 1 block, 15 minutes . . . Did not play Saturday at the Kings (coach's decision) . . . Friday vs. Dallas: 4 pts, 3 rbs, 1 assist, 16 minutes . . . Became the youngest player ever to participate in an NBA regular season game Dec. 5 at Denver, entering the contest at 7:24 of the second period. He was 1-of-1 from the floor in three minutes of action . . . At 18 years, 1 month and 21 days, he was the youngest since the Lakers Kobe Bryant, who was 18 years, 2 months, 11 days when he appeared in his first game on Nov. 3 . . . Activated Dec. 3 after spending first 17 games of the season on the injured list (bone contusion, left knee) suffered in the Oct. 25 preseason game vs. Vancouver game . . . Scored the first points as a professional player on his 18th birthday on Oct. 13 against Sacramento . . . Portland's first round pick (17th overall) in the 1996 NBA Draft out of Eau Claire High School in Columbia, S.C. ISAIAH RIDER --- Monday vs. Washington: 4 pts (2-4 fgs, 0-1 3pt), 3 assists, 1 rb, 18 minutes . . . Saturday at the Kings: 8 pts, 3 assists, 3 rbs, 1 steal, 26 minutes . . . Friday vs. Dallas: 18 pts, 2 assists, 1 steal, 31 minutes . . . Equalled season-high with 23 pts, and had a game and season-high 11 rebounds vs. Seattle Dec. 18 . . . Dished out a career-high 11 assists Nov. 26 at Houston . . . Tallied a season-high 23 points at Sacramento Nov. 9 . . . Has had five 20+ games this season . . . Came to Portland from Minnesota in a July 23 trade for James Robinson and Bill Curley and a conditional 1st round draft choice . . . Minnesota's 1993 first round draft choice (5th overall) from UNLV . . . Averaged 18.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists in 229 games for the Wolves in three seasons . . . 1993-94 NBA All-Rookie First Team . . . Winner of the Gatorade Slam-Dunk Championship at the 1994 NBA All-Star Weekend. CLIFFORD ROBINSON --- Monday vs. Washington: 11 pts (4-11 fgs, 1-4 3pt, 2-2 fts), 1 rbs, team and season-high 8 assists, 1 steal, 42 minutes---sixth time this season he's led team in assists (did it only twice all of last year) . . . Saturday at the Kings: 16 pts, 4 rbs, 3 assists, 2 steals, season-high 4 blocked shots . . . Friday vs. Dallas: Game-high 21 pts, 5 rbs, 3 assists, 32 minutes---the shortest span of floor duty since Nov. 10 . . . Poured in his 400th career three-pointer Dec. 12 versus Vancouver. Robinson has least one long-ranger in 26 of 28 games and in 97 of 106 over two seasons . . . Scored game high 33 pts Dec. 10 vs. Orlando . . . Played a season-high 51 minutes (just two shy of his career high) vs. Indiana Nov. 3 . . . Ranks 9th in the NBA in minutes played (39.9) . . . Leading scorer the past two seasons . . . Averaged 21.1 points in 1995-96, league's 16th highest . . . Has played in all but 11 of 602 games in seven-plus years as a Blazer . . Now sixth among Portland's all-time scoring leaders with 9,642 points . . . Ranks in top ten in 16 of 17 career categories . . . Only remaining Blazer from the 1990 and 1992 Western Conference Championship teams . . vs. Utah last season: Leading scorer in the series, averaging 28.0 pts in three games (sat out Game 2 with a sprained ankle), plus 4.7 rbs, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, 41.3 minutes. ARVYDAS SABONIS --- Monday vs. Washington: Tied his season high with 23 pts (10-20 fgs, 2-4 3pt, 1-4 fts), team-high 8 rbs, 1 assist, 1 block, 29 minutes---scored 16 of his 20 points in the first quarter. . . Saturday at the Kings: 8 pts, team-high 11 rbs, 1 assists, 3 blocks . . . Friday vs. Dallas: 9 pts, 6 rbs, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 20 minutes . . Played a career-high 41 minutes in the Dec. 13 overtime loss at the Lakers . . . Scored season-high 23 points Nov. 27 at San Antonio . . . Converted a career-high 11 free throws (in 12 attempts) Nov. 9 vs. Sacramento, while registering a team-high 21 pts and a game-high 13 rebounds . . . Grabbed season-high 17 rebounds at Minnesota Nov. 7 . . . Team's leading rebounder (7.6 rpg) and blocked shots (1.54) . . . Stands 20th in NBA field goal accuracy at .498 (118-237) and 18th in blocks . . . On the NBA's All-Rookie first team last season, the first Trail Blazer to gain such an honor since Sam Bowie in 1985 . . . Runner-up for the 1996 Schick Rookie of the Year and NBA Sixth Man honors . . . Was the first Blazers rookie in 15 years to score more than 1,000 points in a season . . . Averaged 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds in 73 games . . . Gained his third Olympic Games medal during the summer in helping Lithuania to the Bronze at Atlanta . . . vs. Utah last season: Averaged 7.3 pts, 6.8 rbs, 2.5 assists, 21.8 minutes in four games. GARY TRENT --- Monday vs. Washington: 4 pts (2-7 fgs), 5 rbs, 1 assist, 1 block, 20 minutes . . . Saturday at the Kings: 6 pts, 3 rbs, 13 minutes . . . Friday vs. Dallas: 18 pts, shared game-high rebound honors with 9, 1 assist, 26 minutes---most points in 10 games . . . Scored a game and career high 22 pts (9-12 fgs, 4-4 fts) and claimed a game and career-high 13 rbs in 25 minutes Nov. 26 at Denver . . . Averaged 7.5 points (14th highest for an NBA rookie) and 3.4 rebounds in 69 games as a Blazer last season . . . First round draft pick (11th overall) by Milwaukee in 1995 . . . Portland acquired his draft rights in an exchange involving Shawn Respert's draft rights . . . All-American and Mid-American Conference's leading scorer for three years in a row at Ohio University . . . vs. Utah last season: Averaged 8.0 pts, 3.8 rbs, 0.8 assists, 20.0 minutes in four games. RASHEED WALLACE --- Monday vs. Washington: 5 pts (2-2 fgs, 1-2 fts), 1 rb, 16 minutes before leaving game with a fractured left thumb in the second quarter . . . Will not play Thursday and his return date is indefinite . . . Saturday at the Kings: Career and team season-high 38 pts on career-high 17 of 25 fgs plus 4-5 fts, 5 rbs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 40 minutes---previous highs of 32 pts, 15-20 fgs, came Nov. 5 at Golden State . . . Friday vs. Dallas: 12 pts, 6 rbs, 1 block, 16 minutes . . . Converted a career-high 11 free throws (in 15 tries) while scoring 29 points in the Dec. 13 OT loss at the Lakers . . . Grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds vs. Vancouver Dec. 12 . . . No. 1 among NBA's top field goal percentage shooters (.588 on 170-289) . . . His 32 points at Golden State Nov. 5 was the first 30-plus game of his career . . . Acquired by Portland, along with Mitchell Butler, from Washington in exchange for Rod Strickland and Harvey Grant on July 15 . . . 1996 NBA All-Rookie second team selection . . . Started 51 of 65 games he appeared in as a rookie and averaged 10.1 points a game . . . Selected in the first round (4th pick overall) by the Bullets in the 1995 NBA Draft . . . Second team All-American as a sophomore at North Carolina before becoming an early entry draft candidate. DONTONIO WINGFIELD --- Placed on injured list Dec. 13 (sprained left thumb suffered in Dec. 12 game with Vancouver) . . . Dec. 12 vs. Vancouver: Did not mark in 2 minutes of play . . . Played a season-high 26 minutes at New Jersey Nov. 15. . . Averaged 3.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in 44 games with Portland last season . . . Signed as a free agent in 1995 after playing the 1994-95 season with Seattle . . . Second round draft choice (37th overall) by Seattle in 1994 . . . Became an early entry draft candidate after one year of collegiate basketball at the University of Cincinnati . . . vs. Utah last season: Averaged 1.5 pts, 11.0 minutes in two games, including one start.