PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS at LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS GAME NO. 30 --- DEC. 27, 1996 BATTLING BACK --- The Trail Blazers, 14-15, will be looking to climb back to .500 when they battle the Clippers tonight in Los Angeles. Playing the second of a three-games-in-four-nights post-Christmas run, the Blazers are looking up from below the .500 mark for the first time since November 13 (when they were 4-5). Despite losing three in a row, equalling the longest stretch without a win this season, Portland is two games better than it was after 29 games last year. The Blazers need to win both of their remaining games in December to keep from posting the worst mark for the month since the 1979-80 team finished with a 4-11 record. After testing the Clippers for the first time this season, Portland returns home to finish off 1996 with a Sunday matchup with the San Antonio Spurs. 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 & CLIPPERS --- The Trail Blazers lead in their all-time series with the Clippers, 96-43, and while the Los Angeles club won the last time the two teams clashed, Portland has captured seven of the last nine meetings. The Clippers have won two in a row at home but the Blazers still have an advantage on the road in the series with a 38-32 record. At home, Portland dominates the series. The Blazers have won nine in a row and 58 of 69 games on their own floor against the Clippers in 26 campaigns. The two teams split last season's four games, marking the first time since 1978-79 Portland didn t win the series. THE BLAZERS & CLIPS LAST SEASON --- Both teams kept their fans happy by winning both home dates in the season's matchup. Portland posted its sixth straight double-digit victory over the Clippers on Nov. 20 in the Rose Garden, 113-94, and hit 56 percent from the field in the process. The Clips evened the series with a 100-96 win in Anaheim's Arrowhead Pond on Feb. 17, snapping a seven-game Blazers win streak in the series. Portland won their ninth straight at home against the Clippers on March 15, 86-79. The Clippers responded by putting an end to the Blazers longest win streak of the season, seven games, with a 102-89 victory on April 8. Rod Strickland (23.7 ppg) and Arvydas Sabonis (21.3 ppg) topped Portland scorers in the four games. The Blazers shot 45 percent for the series and the Clippers 48 percent and Portland had an eight rebound per game advantage. WALLACE OUT FOUR WEEKS --- Second-year forward Rasheed Wallace, who has been filling the hoop at a torrid pace most of the season and was the NBA's field goal percentage leader after Monday, has been lost to the Blazers for an minimum of four weeks with a broken left thumb. The Trail Blazers placed Wallace on the injured list on Thursday after he underwent surgery. At the same time, Portland activated forward Dontonio Wingfield, who has been on the injured list since December 13 with a sprained left thumb. Wallace's 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 game with 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. In the previous game, Rasheed scored a career-high 38 points at Sacramento while pouring in 17 of 25 field goal attempts. In his last six appearances, he had burned the nets at a .697 clip, making good on 46 of 66 shots. He was 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 THE BOARDS --- 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---(.540), is second in defensive rebounding percentage (.732) and third in offensive percentage (.347). 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 29 games. They have an overall advantage of 7.2 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.) ON THE DEFENSE . . . Portland has held opponents to .435 field goal shooting in 29 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 29 foes to top the century mark thus far . . . Their defensive average, 94.5, is the 11th lowest in the league and is 2.5 points per game below last year's club record of 97.0 ppg in 82 games. ON OFFENSE --- Averaging 97.6 ppg, the Blazers offense is the ninth most productive in the league . . . Portland has hit at a 51 percent or better clip in eight of 29 games thus far and its field goal accuracy mark of .453 is the league's 11th 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 . . . Eight of the Blazers 15 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 3.1 points per game is the NBA's ninth best mark. AMONG THE NBA LEADERS ---RASHEED WALLACE, first in field goal percentage---.588 (170-289) ---ARVYDAS SABONIS, 19th in field goal percentage---.504 (126-250) and 20th in blocked shots (1.48) --- KENNY ANDERSON , 14th in assists (6.4), is 13th in steals (1.90), and 31st in scoring (17.9) --- CHRIS DUDLEY, 18t in blocked shots (1.52) --- CLIFFORD ROBINSON, 7th in minutes played (40.1) THE LAST THREE GAMES MORE OF THAT JAZZ --- Portland led by as many as 19 points in the first quarter, had a 10-point advantage at halftime and, with 32.6 seconds remaining owned the lead, 92-91. But Karl Malone's long jumper and six straight Jazz free throws were the difference as Portland went down in the Delta Center last night, 99-94. It was the Trail Blazers third straight loss, equalling the season's longest, and their third in a row on the road. The Blazers, who have now lost eight in a row on the Jazz floor, were paced by center Arvydas Sabonis' career-high equalling 26 points, along with 13 rebounds---his team-best sixth double-double. Malone, with 24 points, and Byron Russell with 23 topped Utah scoring. The Blazers shot .479 for the game (34-71) but the Jazz answered with a Portland opponent season high .545 performance from the field (36-66). Portland had a 37-28 rebounding advantage. 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. 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. BACK-TO-BACK --- Friday's contest in the Sports Arena closes out the ninth of 20 sets of back-to-back games on the Blazers 1996-97 schedule. Last night's 99-94 setback at Utah dropped Portland's overall mark in back-to-backs (games played on consecutive nights) to 8-9. The Blazers go into the Clipper game with a 4-4 record in second nights of the back-to-backs and are 2-4 when the second contest is on the road. 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. ANDERSON'S ASSISTS COUNTING UP --- Point guard Kenny Anderso now has dished out 186 assists in 29 games. That means $3,720 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. SPURS NEXT --- Portland ends its two-game post-Christmas road trip in Los Angeles Friday, returning home for a Sunday date with the San Antonio Spurs in the Rose Garden (7 p.m., KEX Radio, BlazerVision) to close out the 1996 year. The Blazers keep thinking Texas when they open New Year with games at Houston Thursday (5:30 p.m., KEX Radio) and at Dallas next Saturday (5:30 p.m.). After that, its three straight at home, beginning with the Los Angeles Laker's first visit of the season on Monday, Jan. 6. THE PLAYERS KENNY ANDERSON --- Thursday at Utah: 10 pts (4-12 fgs, 2-3 3pt), 8 assists, 2 rbs, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 36 minutes . . . Monday vs. Washington: 12 pts, 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 . . . 21 pts and 11 assists Dec. 18 vs. Seattle was 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 17.9 ppg, the assists leader (6.4 avg.) and tops in steals (1.90 avg.) . . . Ranks 31st in the NBA in scoring, 14th in assists, and 13th 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. 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. MITCHELL BUTLER --- Thursday at Utah: 0 pts (0-2 3pt), 3 assists, 7 minutes . . . Monday vs. Washington: 5 pts, 3 rbs, 1 assist, 13 minutes . . . Saturday at the Kings: 2 pts, 1 rb, 6 minutes . . 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 three games (coach's decision) . . . Last 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. LA Clippers last season: Scoreless, 2 assists, 4 minutes in one game. 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 . . . 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 --- Thursday at Utah: 0 pts (0-2 fgs), 6 rbs, 3 blocked shots, 25 minutes . . . Monday vs. Washington: 2 pts, 2 rbs, 9 minutes . . . Saturday at the Kings: 5 pts, 7 rbs, 1 block, 28 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 (7.2 rpg) and leader in blocked shots (1.52) despite starting just two games thus far . . . Ranks 18th in the league in blocks . . . Blazers leader in rebounds and blocks 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. LA Clippers last season: Averaged 5.8 pts, 8.5 rbs, 2.0 blocks, 24.5 minutes in four games, including 2 starts. REGGIE JORDAN --- Thursday at Utah: 0 pts (0-1 ft), 1 rb, 1 steal, 12 minutes . . . Monday vs. Washington: 4 pts, 5 rbs, 2 assists, 1 block, 17 minutes . . . Saturday at the Kings: 0 pts, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 9 minutes . . .Scored a season-high 8 pts and tied his career high with 9 rebounds 23 minutes vs. Dallas Dec. 20 . . Activated Dec. 20 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 --- Thursday at Utah: 8 pts (2-4 fgs, 1-2 3pt, 3-3 fts), 3 rbs, 1 steal, 14 minutes . . . Monday vs. Washington: 6 pts, 2 rbs, 3 assists, season-high 4 steals, 24 minutes . . . Saturday at the Kings: 5 pts, 4 rbs, 2 assists, 1 block, 28 minutes . . . Played a season-high 41 minutes, scoring 7 points and dishing out 5 assists vs. Orlando Dec. 10 . . . Played in his 110th consecutive game Friday, 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. LA Clippers last season: Averaged 8.3 pts, 2.3 rbs, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 26.0 minutes in 4 games, including three starts. JERMAINE O'NEAL --- Did not play (coach's decision) Thursday at Utah . . . Monday vs. Washington: Career-high 8 pts, 2 rbs, 1 block, 15 minutes . . . Did not play Saturday at the Kings (coach's decision) . . . 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 --- Thursday at Utah: 19 pts (7-15 fgs, 3-4 3pt, 2-3 fts), 3 rbs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 34 minutes . . . Monday vs. Washington: 4 pts, 3 assists, 1 rb, 18 minutes . . . Saturday at the Kings: 8 pts, 3 assists, 3 rbs, 1 steal, 26 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 --- Thursday at Utah: 17 pts (6-12 fgs, 0-3 3pt, 5-8 fts), 6 rbs, 2 assists, 3 steals, season-high 3 blocked shots, 45 minutes . . . Monday vs. Washington: 11 pts, 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 . . . Poured in his 400th career three-pointer Dec. 12 versus Vancouver. Robinson has least one long-ranger in 26 of 29 games and in 97 of 107 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 7th in the NBA in minutes played (40.1) . . . Leading scorer the past two seasons . . . Averaged 21.1 points in 1995-96, league's 16th highest . . . Has played in all but 11 of 603 games in seven-plus years as a Blazer . . Now sixth among Portland's all-time scoring leaders with 9,659 points . . . Ranks in top ten in 16 of 17 career categories . . . Only remaining Blazer from the 1990 and 1992 Western Conference Championship teams . . vs. LA Clippers last season: Averaged 14.8 pts, 5.3 rbs, 1.3 assists, 36.0 minutes in four starts. ARVYDAS SABONIS --- Thursday at Utah: Career high-equalling 26 pts (8-13 fgs, 2-4 3pt, 8-8 fts), game-high 13 rbs, 2 assists, 34 minutes---his team-best sixth double-double . . . Monday vs. Washington: Tied his season high with 23 pts, 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 . . . 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 (7.8 rpg) and second in blocked shots (1.48) . . . Stands 19th in NBA field goal accuracy at .504 (126-250) and 20th 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. LA Clippers last season: Portland's second leading scorer, averaging 21.3 pts, 7.8 rbs, 1.5 assists, 1.8 blocks, 1.0 steals, 26.0 minutes and shot 67 percent from the field (34-51). GARY TRENT --- Thursday at Utah: 14 pts (7-11 fgs, 0-1 3pt), 3 rbs, 33 pts in his second start of the season . . . Monday vs. Washington: 4 pts, 5 rbs, 1 assist, 1 block, 20 minutes . . . Saturday at the Kings: 6 pts, 3 rbs, 13 minutes . . 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. LA Clippers last season: Averaged 7.0 pts, 1.0 rbs, 1.3 assists, 17.7 minutes in three games, including one start. RASHEED WALLACE --- Placed on injured list Thursday and is expected to be sidelined a minimum of four weeks . . . Monday vs. Washington: 5 pts (2-2 fgs), 1 rb, 16 minutes before leaving game with a fractured left thumb in the second quarter . . 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 . . . 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 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 --- Activated Thursday at Utah---did not play (coach's decision) . . . 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. LA Clippers last season: Averaged 0.7 pts, 0.7 rbs, 5.7 minutes in three games.