PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS at TORONTO RAPTORS GAME NO. 44 --- JANUARY 28, 1997 Record: Overall---25-18, Home---14-8, Road---11-10 HEADING EAST --- The Trail Blazers, 25-18, open a four-games-in-six-days Eastern road swing Tuesday at Toronto, looking to move eight games above .500 for the first time in three seasons when they take on the Toronto Raptors in the SkyDome Tuesday. The last time they had eight more wins than losses was on March 21, 1995. Portland also will be looking to atone for a 94-92 loss to the Raptors 12 days ago in the Rose Garden, the Blazers first ever to the second-year expansion club. That setback was one of only three in the last 14 games for the Trail Blazers. Portland captured four out of five last week with the single loss a 98-97 heartbreaker in Seattle on Wednesday. At 25-18, the Blazers are four games ahead of where they were last year after 43 games. With three games remaining in January, the Blazers at 9-3 already have as many wins for the month as in any of the previous three years and are assured of having a winning January for the 11th time in the last 12 campaigns. Portland's has won five of its last six on the road and upped its current travel log to 11-10, one of eight winning road marks in the league. Portland's one-point loss in Seattle Wednesday was the fourth single-digit setback by the young Blazers this season and the third one-pointer on the road to one of the league's elite teams. Earlier this season Portland dropped one-point overtime decisions at Houston and the Lakers. Five of Portland's nine wins in January have been over teams with better records---Houston, the Lakers twice, Detroit and Utah. PROBABLE STARTERS --- F-- No. 3 Clifford Robinson (6-10), F--No. 33 Gary Trent (6-8), C--No. 24 Chris Dudley (6-11), G--No. 34 Isaiah Rider (6-5), G--No. 7 Kenny Anderson (6-1). BLAZERS ACQUIRE AUGMON --- Stacey Augmon, a 6-foot-8 forward-guard in his sixth NBA season, was acquired by the Trail Blazers Friday from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for guards Randolph Childress, Aaron McKie and Reggie Jordan. Also on Friday, Portland signed veteran guard and former Trail Blazer Ennis Whately to a 10-day contract. (See Player Notes for profiles.) INJURY REPORT --- Arvydas Sabonis was placed on the injured list (hematoma, left calf) on Friday and will be out at least five games. The injury occurred with 7:15 remaining in Wednesday's game at Seattle . . . Rasheed Wallace (fractured left thumb), is on injured list for his 16th game (fifth week). THE BLAZERS & RAPTORS --- The Blazers dropped their first decision ever to Toronto, 94-92, eleven days ago in Portland. Last year, the Trail Blazers won both meetings with the Raptors, defeating the first-year expansion club 96-88 in Portland and 90-87 in the SkyDome. In the first matchup this season, the Blazers, coming off a big win the night before over the Lakers at The Forum, dug a 25-15 hole for themselves in the first quarter, recovered, but then saw Toronto make the shots it needed down the stretch for the victory. Isaiah Rider led Portland with 23 points while Raptor guard Damon Stoudamire led all scorers in the game with 24, including his team's last seven points. The Blazers shot 46% for the game (39-84) and Toronto 44% (40-89). Portland had a 46-40 rebounding edge. The setback was one of only three by Portland in the last 14 games. UP STEPS TRENT --- When 6-10 power forward Rasheed Wallace, the team's fourth leading scorer (15.2 ppg) and the NBA's field goal percentage leader (.588), went down with a broken thumb in the Dec. 23 Washington game, into the gap stepped Gary Trent---big time! In the 15 games since Trent moved into the starting rotation, the Blazers are 11-4. In that span, he has averaged 14.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, and more impressively has converted at a .586 rate from the field (85-145) and .820 from the free throw line and twice has posted career-high 24 point totals. In his last four outings, Trent has burned the nets on 41 of 31 field goal attempts (.756), is 17 of 20 from the line (.850), and has averaged 19.8 points and 7.0 rebounds a game. CHRIS DUDLEY, STEVE YOUNG . . . --- Blazers center Chris Dudley has been named one of five recipients of USA Weekend magazine's fourth annual Most Caring Athlete Awards. Other 1997 honorees who are being recognized by the magazine for their humanitarian efforts off the field are 49er quarterback Steve Young, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling, LPGA golfer Val Skinner and tennis star Chanda Rubin. Dudley, 1996 winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award presented annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association, was recognized by USA Weekend for work among children and young adults. Diagnosed as a diabetic when he was 16, Dudley's charitable work includes a $100,000 gift to Oregon's Gales Creek Camp for diabetic youth; $300,000 to the I Have a Dream Foundation to sponsor college scholarships for 76 at-risk pupils at Portland's Vernon Elementary School when they finish high school, and last summer sponsoring Oregon's first basketball camp for diabetics. ON OFFENSE --- The Blazers have the eighth most productive offense in the league (behind Chicago, Seattle, Golden State, Houston, Phoenix, Utah, and the Lakers), averaging 98.6 points a contest . . . In winning 25 games, the Blazers margin of victory has been 13.1 ppg, with the cushion being 10 or more points in 13 games and 20 or more six times . . . Portland's overall point margin of +4.5 is the league's seventh best . . . The Blazers field goal accuracy mark of .458 is the 10th highest in the league . . . They have topped 50 percent field goal shooting 11 times . . . Twelve of the Blazers 18 losses have been by six points or less, seven have been by three or under, and four have been one-pointers . . . Portland is 13-6 in games decided by 10 points or more but 6-9 when the margin is four points or under and 2-6 when its two or under. ON DEFENSE . . . Portland has the seventh toughest defense in the league to shoot against, holding foes to .433 field goal accuracy in 43 games . . . Twelve times they have kept opponents below the 40 percent mark and 25 times below 45 percent . . . In winning 25 games, the Blazers have held 21 opponents under 100 points and overall have allowed only 12 of 43 to top the century mark . . . Their defensive average, 94.1, is the league's 11th lowest. ON THE BOARDS --- Portland has outrebounded 36 of 43 opponents this season and nine times has claimed 50 or more misses in a game . . . The Blazers lead the NBA in total rebounding percentage---the share of total misses in a game a team rebounds---(.532), are third in defensive rebounding percentage (.742) and fourth in offensive percentage (.348) . . . The Blazers have an overall advantage of 6.4 boards per game and a 4.7 per game margin on the defensive glass . . . Among the top five rebounding teams in the league for the past nine years, Portland again is the leader despite not having an individual among the league's top 30. AMONG THE NBA LEADERS ---RASHEED WALLACE, 1st in field goal percentage---.588 (170-289) ---GARY TRENT, 5th in field goal percentage---.546 (183-335) ---ARVYDAS SABONIS, 23rd in field goal percentage---.491 (195-397) and 24th in blocked shots (1.34) ---KENNY ANDERSON , 12th in assists (7.1), is 11th in steals (1.86), and 31st in scoring (17.8) ---CHRIS DUDLEY, 23rd in blocked shots (1.42) ---CLIFFORD ROBINSON, 27th in minutes played (38.7) THE LAST THREE GAMES TAMING THE WOLVES --- After a slow start, the Trail Blazers put the clamps on Minnesota and outscored the Wolves, 49-35, in the second half to post a 101-94 victory in the Rose Garden on Saturday, their 11th win in their last 14 games and a sweep of back-to-back games. The previous night they ran past the Suns in Phoenix, 115-105. Isaiah Rider sparked the Portland effort, scoring 18 of his team-high 26 points in the second half. Kenny Anderson added 19 and Gary Trent 18. Clifford Robinson chipped in 15 and equalled his career high with nine assists. The Wolves Kevin Garnett had a game-high 32 points but only eight in the final two quarters. The Blazers shot 49% for the game (39-79) and Minnesota 47% (39-83). Led by Chris Dudley's 12 rebounds, Portland grabbed a 43-37 edge on the glass. BLOCKING OUT THE SUNS --- Portland, using a career-high scoring effort for the second game in a row from Gary Trent, Kenny Anderson's ninth double-double of the season and a strong all-around team effort, roared past Phoenix, 115-105 in the America West Arena on Friday. It was the Blazers fifth road win their last six stops. Trent tallied 24 points, had career-high 10 field goals and pulled down 13 rebounds. Anderson had 22 points and a season-high 15 assists. Clifford Robinson added 18 points and Isaiah Rider and Dontonio Wingfield 16 points each. Guards Rex Chapman paced Phoenix with 19 points. The Blazers turned in a 49% shooting chart for the night and the Suns 52%. Portland had a 45-40 rebounding advantage. HEARTBREAK IN SEATTLE --- The Trail Blazers had a four-point lead, 95-91, with 1:05 to go and still were up, 97-96, at the 8.6 mark but a Hersey Hawkins backdoor layin 2 two seconds left allowed the Sonics to escape with a 98-97 win in Seattle. Second-year forward Gary Trent and rookie Jermaine O'Neal led the Blazers with respective career highs of 24 and 20 points. Detlef Schrempf scored 26 and Shawn Kemp 23 to lead Seattle. Portland shot better than the Sonics, 51 percent to 41 percent, had six more field goals (37 to 31), and battled to a 35-21 rebounding edge. Turnovers and free throws cost the Blazers. Portland gave up the ball 23 times for 29 Sonics points, as Seattle came up with an opponent season-high 16 steals. The Sonics converted 28-36 free throws in the game, compared with 20-25 by Portland. It was the third straight loss to the Sonics and the second in a row where the decision came in the final seconds. ROAD WARRIORS --- Portland is 11-10 on the road . . . Last Wednesday's one-point loss at Seattle snapped a league-best four-game road winning streak, their longest in five years . . . Of their 10 road losses, seven have been by three points or less and four have been one pointers (two of them in overtime). IN THE LAST 14 --- In their last 14 outings, the Trail Blazers have averaged 100.5 ppg, topped the century mark nine times and fired at a .468 clip from the field while converting at a 49% pace or better in nine games. On defense, they have held opponents to a 93.3 scoring average, allowed only two to record 100 points or better, and limited opponent field goal accuracy to .428, with only one foe doing better than 49%. KEEPING BUSY --- Saturday's win over Minnesota wound up a hectic stretch of seven games in 10 days for the Blazers (record 5-2) and a four-games-in-five-days (record 3-1) run that began last Tuesday against the Clippers. In all, Portland has 11 games in the final 18 days of January after playing just four in the first 13. BACK-TO-BACKS --- Tonight's game at Toronto opens the 13th of 21 back-to-back sets of games on the Blazers 1996-97 schedule and the third of three such combinations in a span of nine days. The Trail Blazers, who just completed a sweep of back-to-back encounters with Phoenix and Minnesota on Friday and Saturday, are 13-11 overall in two-night combos, 12-11 in first games and 4-4 when the first game is on the road. BLAZERS MILESTONES --- Kenny Anderson's season-high 15 assists at Phoenix last night allowed him to reach the 3,000 plateau in his career . . . Clifford Robinson and Chris Dudley both played in their 600th NBA game last Friday against Toronto . . . Robinson has moved past Geoff Petrie as Portland's fifth all-time leading scorer and now, with 9,850 points, is closing in on becoming only the fifth Trail Blazer to reach 10,000. THE COMMUNITY CORNER ANDERSON'S ASSISTS COUNTING UP --- After his season-high 15 assists Friday at Phoenix eight Saturday versus Minnesota, Kenny Anderson has now dished out 307 assists for the season (7.1 per game, 13th best in the league). That means $6,140 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, a volunteer organization of grade and high school students throughout Oregon and southwest Washington. DUDLEY, SMITH HELP KIDS FITNESS PROGRAM --- Center Chris Dudley and Mick Smith, Trail Blazers strength and conditioning coach, are teaming with G.I. Joe's and Nautilus Plus to present the G.I. Joe's Physical Fitness Program for youth in Oregon and southwest Washington. The 12-week program, which kicks off this month, aims to assist physical education teachers in grades one through eight to encourage their students to be involved in lifetime fitness activities. Smith and the Blazers have published an 18-page G.I. Joe's Physical Fitness Program workbook with specific routines to help teachers develop the program and Dudley and Smith have produced a videotape demonstrating the program's various exercises and tests. ATTENDANCE IN TOP THREE --- The Trail Blazers, despite playing in the league's fourth smallest market area, rank behind only Charlotte and Chicago in home game attendance as the season passes the midway point. All 22 Blazers home games thus far have been in the 20,000-plus category with total attendance 428,741 and the average through Tuesday's game 20,457. ROSE GARDEN RANKS NO. 2 --- In its first year, the Blazers Rose Garden finished as the North America's second-highest money-making concert venue behind only Detroit's Palace at Auburn Hills. The rating, done by Performance Magazine based on arenas with 20,000 or more seats, showed the Rose Garden staged 47 shows with a total attendance of 510,275 and gross revenue of $12.5 million. Other arenas in the top 10 included New Jersey's Continental Airlines Arena (No. 3), Target Center in Minneapolis (No. 5), General Motors Place in Vancouver (No. 6), Boston's Fleet Center (No. 9) and Chicago's United Center (No. 10). 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, 55.2%), Mike Schuler (127-84, 60.2%) and Rick Adelman (291-154, 65.4%). P.J. currently is 113-94, 54.6%. Last season, Carlesimo guided Portland to a 44-38 record for the second year in a row. PISTONS NEXT --- The Blazers back in action tomorrow night at Detroit (5:30 p.m., KEX Radio, KGW-TV) on the second stop of a four-games-in-six-days Eastern road trip. On Friday the are in in Boston (4 p.m., KEX Radio), and complete the trek Sunday at Minnesota (12:30 p.m., KEX Radio). Next home game for the Blazers is Tuesday, Feb. 4, against the World Champion Chicago Bulls (7 p.m., KEX Radio, BlazerVision). THE PLAYERS KENNY ANDERSON --- Saturday vs. Wolves: 19 pts (6-18 fgs, 1-2 3pt, 6-6 fts), 3 rbs, 8 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 47 minutes . . . Friday at Suns: 22 pts, 7 rbs, game and season-high 15 assists, 1 block and just 1 turnover in 43 minutes---his ninth double-double, his 10th double-figure assist game and 18th time at +20 points . . . Wednesday at Seattle: 5 pts, team-high 10 assists, 5 rbs, 2 steals . . . Tuesday vs. Clippers: 15 pts, 4 rbs, 12 assists, 3 steals, 36 minutes . . . His assists-to-turnovers ratio of 3.79/1 is the NBA's third best among point guards . . . Scored a season-high 34 pts in a season-high 49 minutes Dec. 13 at the Lakers . . . Scored 32 points vs. Houston Nov. 26 . . . Has led team in scoring 11 times and in assists 27 times . . . Team's leading scorer at 17.8 ppg, the assists leader (7.1 avg.) and tops in steals (1.86 avg.) . . . Ranks 31st in the NBA in scoring, 12th in assists, and 11th 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 . . . Last game vs. Toronto: 17 pts, game-high 9 assists, 5 rbs, 3 steals, 44 minutes. STACEY AUGMON --- Saturday vs. Wolves: 2 pts (1-2 fgs, 0-1 fts), 1 rb, 5 minutes . . . Acquired Friday from Detroit in exchange for guards Randolph Childress, Reggie Jordan and Aaron McKie (joined team Saturday) . . . In 20 games this season with the Pistons, averaged 4.5 pts, 2.5 rbs and 14.6 minutes . . . Played his first five NBA seasons with Atlanta before being traded to Detroit last summer along with Grant Long for a conditional 1998 1st round draft pick, and second round picks in 1997 and 1998 . . . In five seasons with Atlanta, started 355 times in 390 appearances and averaged 13.7 pts, 4.5 rbs, 2.3 assists, 1.46 steals and 30.5 minutes . . . Has registered 100 or more steals in four of his first five seasons . . . A 1992 All-NBA Rookie first team selection . . . Scored the NBA's 6 millionth point March 23, 1992 against Golden State . . . Had a career-high 36 points versus the Blazers on Jan. 3, 1995 . . . The youngest member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul . . . Played on two NCAA Final Four teams at UNLV, including the Runnin Rebels 1990 NCAA championship club. MARCUS BROWN --- Saturday vs. Wolves: 0 pts, 1 minute . . . Friday at Suns: Equalled career high with 7 pts (1-2 fgs, 1-1 3pt, 4-4 fts), 7 minutes . . . Wednesday at Seattle: 2 pts, 2 rbs, 1 assist, 4 minutes . . . Scored career-high 7 pts in a career-high 12 minutes last Tuesday vs. LA Clippers . . . Played in his first NBA game against San Antonio Dec. 29, scoring 6 pts in 5 minutes---his first pro points came at 2:40 of 4th quarter on a three-pointer (his first attempt) from the left side . . . Activated Dec. 27 after spending the first 29 games of the season on th 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 . . . Last game vs. Toronto: Did not play (coach's decision). MITCHELL BUTLER --- Saturday vs. Wolves: 2 pts (1-2 fgs, 0-1 3pt, 0-2 fts), 7 minutes . . . Friday at Suns: 1 pt (1-2 fts), 14 minutes . . . Wednesday at Seattle: Did not play (coach's decision) . . . Had season highs of 13 points, 8 rebounds, 33 minutes Jan. 14 vs. Detroit . . . Activated 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, 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. . . Last game vs. Toronto: 0 pts, 3 minutes. CHRIS DUDLEY --- Saturday vs. Wolves: 2 pts (1-3 fgs), game-high 12 rbs, 1 block, 33 minutes in fourth start of the season . . . Friday at Suns: 7 pts, 11 rbs, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 37 minutes . . . Wednesday at Seattle: 0 pts, 2 rbs, 18 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 (7.1 rpg) and leader in blocked shots (1.42) despite starting just three games . . . Ranks 23rd in the league in blocks . . . Blazers leader in rebounds and blocks last two seasons . . . 10th year in the league, the team's longest tenured player . . . Played in his 600th NBA game last Friday versus Toronto and has played in all but two of the last 204 games . . . 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 . . . Last game vs. Toronto: 6 pts, 5 rbs, 19 minutes. JERMAINE O NEAL --- Saturday vs. Wolves: 3 pts (1-1 fgs, 1-2 fts), 4 rbs, 1 block, 10 minutes . . . Friday at Suns: 4 pts, 5 rbs, 10 minutes . . . Wednesday at Seattle: Career-high 20 pts (8-10 fgs, 4-4 fts), equalled career high with 6 rbs, 2 blocked shots, career-high 25 minutes . . . Scored 10 pts in 11 minutes vs. Detroit Jan. 14, and received the first technical of his career at the 7:02 mark of the 2nd quarter for hanging on the rim after an awesome dunk. . . Had a career-high 3 blocks vs. San Antonio, Dec. 29 . . . Grabbed a career-high 6 rbs at the Clippers Dec. 27 . . . 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 . . . Spent season's first 17 games on the injured list . . . 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 H.S. in Columbia, S.C. . . . Last game vs. Toronto: 2 pts, 1 rb, 6 minutes. ISAIAH RIDER --- Saturday vs. Wolves: Team-high 26 pts (season-high 12-21 fgs, 2-4 3pt), 6 rbs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 38 minutes . . . Friday at Suns: 16 pts, 4 rbs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 36 minutes . . . Wednesday at Seattle: 13 pts, 4 assists, 6 rbs, 1 steal, 43 minutes . . . Made 15 of 18 free throws, both career highs, while scoring 30 points in Jan. 16 win at Lakers (the free throw makes and attempts were the most ever by a Blazer vs. L.A.) . . . Has averaged 21.0 ppg in his last 14 outings . . . In last 17 games shooting .478 (108-227) after converting at a .404 clip in his first 26 games . . . Grabbed a game and season-high 11 rebounds vs. Seattle Dec. 18 . . . Dished out a career-high 11 assists Nov. 26 at Houston . . . 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 in 229 games for the Wolves in three seasons . . . 1993-94 NBA All-Rookie First Team . . . Winner of the Gatorade Slam-Dunk title at the 1994 NBA All-Star Weekend. . . Last game vs. Toronto: Team-high 24 pts (10-20 fgs), 6 rbs, 1 assist, 40 minutes. CLIFFORD ROBINSON --- Saturday vs. Wolves: 15 pts (5-13 fgs, 3-4 3pt, 2-2 fts), 5 rbs, matched career high with 9 assists, 2 steals, 36 minutes before fouling out with 17.7 seconds remaining, the second straight DQ and the 34th of his career, fourth highest on the all-time Blazers list . . . Friday at Suns: 18 pts, 2 rbs, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 39 minutes . . . Wednesday at Seattle: 17 pts, 2 rbs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 35 minutes . . . Grabbed season-high 9 rbs and had 23 pts Tuesday vs. Clippers . . . Poured in his 400th career three-pointer Dec. 12 versus Vancouver . . . Robinson has at least one trey in 36 of 41 games this season and with 426 stands third all-time among Blazers long-range shooters behind only Terry Porter and Clyde Drexler. . . 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 27th in the NBA in minutes played (38.7) . . . Leading scorer the past two seasons . . . Averaged 21.1 points in 1995-96, league's 16th highest . . . Participated in his 600th game as a Blazer Jan. 17 against Toronto . . . Now fifth among Portland's all-time scoring leaders with 9,850 points . . . Ranks in top ten in 16 of 17 career categories . . . Last game vs. Toronto: 12 pts, 6 rbs, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 40 minutes. ARVYDAS SABONIS --- Placed on the injured list Friday because a hematoma (deeply bruised) left calf sustained in a fourth quarter collision in Wednesday's game at Seattle . . . Wednesday at Seattle: 12 pts (5-10 fgs, 2-2 fts), 5 rbs, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 25 minutes . . . Tuesday vs. Clippers: 17 pts, 7 rbs, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 27 minutes . . . Sunday vs. Utah: 22 pts in a career high-equalling 41 minutes . . . Has led Blazers in scoring on 8 occasions, in rebounding 21 times, and assists 3 times . . . Leads team in double-doubles with 11 . . . Scored career-high 33 points and had career high-equalling 11 field goals (on 14 attempts) and 8 free throws on a career-high 14 fts, plus a team-high 12 In the Jan. 4 win at Dallas . . . Equalled his career high with 26 points and had a game-high 13 rebounds Dec. 26 at Utah . . . Played a career-high 41 minutes in the Dec. 13 overtime loss at the Lakers . . Grabbed career-high 17 rebounds at Minnesota Nov. 7 . . . Team's leading rebounder (8.1 rpg) and second in blocked shots (1.34) . . . Stands 23rd in NBA field goal accuracy at .491 (195-397) and 24th in blocks . . On the NBA's All-Rookie first team last season, the first Blazer to make it 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 . . . Gained his third Olympic Games medal during the summer in helping Lithuania to the Bronze at Atlanta . . . Last game vs. Toronto: 14 pts, team-high 9 rbs, 2 blocks, 29 minutes. GARY TRENT --- Saturday vs. Wolves: 18 pts (7-9 fgs, 4-4 fts), 7 rbs, 1 steal, 38 minutes. . . Friday at Suns: Second straight career-high scoring effort with game-high 24 points (10-14 fgs, 4-6 fts), and tied career high with 13 rbs, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 36 minutes --- 10 field goals also a career high . . . In his last four games has blistered the nets at a 76% clip (31-41), raising his season field goal percentage to .546, the league's fifth best mark . . . Wednesday at Seattle: Career-high 24 pts (9-11 fgs, 6-6 fts), team-high 7 rbs, , 32 minutes . . . Tuesday vs. Clippers: 13 pts (5-7 fgs, 3-4 fts), 25 minutes . . . Portland 11-4 since he moved into the starting lineup in place of the injured Rasheed Wallace . . . Played a career-high 44 minutes and scored 19 points Jan. 2 at Houston . . . 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) 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 . . . Last game vs. Toronto: 9 pts, 7 rbs, 3 assists, 26 minutes. RASHEED WALLACE --- Placed on injured list Dec. 27 after surgery on his thumb; is expected to be sidelined a minimum of four weeks . . . Dec. 23 vs. Washington: 5 pts (2-2 fgs), 1 rb, 16 minutes before leaving game with a fractured left thumb in the second quarter . . Tallied a career and team season-high 38 pts on career-high 17 of 25 fgs in 40 minutes at Sacramento Dec. 21---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 . . . Still 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 sophomore All-American at North Carolina before becoming an early entry draft candidate. ENNIS WHATLEY --- Did not play (coach's decision) in last two games . . . Signed to a 10-day contract on Friday . . . Has been playing for Connecticut in the CBA where he was averaging 15.2 points (team's 4th highest), and 9.5 assists (the CBA s 2nd highest) in 26 games, while shooting .540 from the field . . . Is making his second appearance as a Trail Blazer . . . Was a member of the 1991-92 Western Conference Champions that took Chicago to six games in the NBA Finals . . . Has played for six teams---Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland and Atlanta---in the NBA over nine seasons after being the Bulls second pick (13th) overall in the 1983 NBA Draft . . . Averaged 5.6 pts, 4.5 assists and 18.5 minutes in 382 previous NBA games . . . As a rookie point guard with the Bulls in 1983-84, distributed 662 assists, an 8.3 per game average, 8th best in the league. DONTONIO WINGFIELD --- Saturday vs. Wolves: 14 pts (5-10 fgs, 2-4 3pt, 2-2 fts), 5 rbs, 1 steal, 25 minutes . . . Friday at Suns: Season-high 16 pts, 3 rbs, 1 assist, 1 steal, 18 minutes . . . Wednesday at Seattle: 4 pts, 2 steals, 8 minutes . . . Tied career-high with 9 rbs and played a season-high 27 minutes vs. the Lakers Jan. 6 . . . Has converted 10 of 14 three-pointers in last seven games and averaged 10.2 points in his last five . . . Placed on injured list Dec. 13 (sprained left thumb suffered in Dec. 12 game with Vancouver) . . . 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. Phoenix last season: Scored 2 pts and had 2 rbs in 7 minutes of Game 2. Did not play (coach's decision) in the other three games . . . Last game vs. Toronto: 9 pts, 5 rbs, 3 assists, 22 minutes. John Christensen Chuck Charnquist ************************************************************ Send subscribe/unsubscribe messages to majordomo@ripcity.com ************************************************************