PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS vs. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS GAME NO. 74---TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 1997 Record: Overall---43-30, Home---26-10, Road---17-20 GOING FOR 10 --- The Trail Blazers, 43-30, will be looking to extend their season-best winning streak in the Rose Garden to 10 in a row when they take on the Golden State Warriors Tuesday. Portland is 12-1 at home since the All-Star break with only a 96-95 overtime loss to the Knicks on Feb. 26 to mar that record. The Trail Blazers, the youngest team in the NBA in terms of both age and experience, have won 14 of their last 16 games including five of seven on the road. The Blazers, who locked up a place in the Western Conference playoffs for the 15th consecutive year, have their 18th winning season in the last 21 campaigns. Portland finished March with a 13-2 record, the best record for the month in club history and equal to the second best percentage for any month since the frachise was established. At 43-30, the Blazers have the fifth best record in the Western Conference. They are 13 wins above .500, the farthest they ve been above the break-even point in three years (they were 46-32 on April 15, 1994) and are five wins better than they were last year after 73 games. Portland is 31-13 against conference foes (the West s fourth best mark), including a 20-2 record at home. Last Friday's win over Vancouver ended a heavy stretch of action for the Blazers, who played 21 times 38 days and only once had more than a day off between games. Even with the heavy slate, they compiled a 16-6 record. Five of Portland's nine remaining regular season games over a 20-day span are at home. 15 STRAIGHT --- The Blazers have locked up their their 15th straight playoff berth, the NBA's longest current streak, and their 20th in the last 21 years. Only four times in league history have teams had more consecutive post-season appearances than the Blazers: 22--Syracuse/Philadelphia (1950-71); 19--Boston (1951-1969); 17--Los Angeles Lakers (1977-93), and 16--Minnapolis/Los Angeles (1959-1974). Portland, with nine regular season games remaining, currently occupies the Western Conference s fifth spot behind the Lakers and Houston, two teams battling for the third and fourth slots on the playoff ladder. A MARVELOUS MARCH --- Friday's 34-point win over Vancouver allowed the Blazers to finish March with the best record ever for the month and the second-best percentage mark for any month in franchise history. Portland finished with a 13-2 record, which bettered the mark of 13-4 by the 1989-90 Western Conference championship team. At 13-2 (86.7%), the current Blazers March finish is the same as the 1980-81 team's December record and just back of the all-time best of 12-1 (92.3%) posted by the 1990-91 team in November. March has proved to be a big month for Coach P.J. Carlesimo and his Blazers over the past two seasons. Last year Portland was 11-3 in March which makes the club 24-5 for the month over two seasons. ANOTHER WINNING YEAR --- The Blazers, with 43 victories, have their 18th winning season in the last 21 years. That s the second best mark of any team in the NBA over the 21 seasons. Only the Los Angeles Lakers have done better, turning in 19 years with records over the 50% mark (41-41) during the same time span. Behind the Blazers are such teams as Boston and Houston, 15 each; Philadelphia and Seattle, 14 each; Milwaukee and San Antonio, 13 each, and Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, and New York, all with 12. 22 IN A ROW --- Portland has won 37 or more games for the 22nd consecutive season. The closest any NBA team can come to that consistency is Seattle which now has at least 31 victories in each of the 22 seasons. THE BLAZERS-WARRIORS SERIES --- The Trail Blazers hold an 85-60 lead in their all-time series with Golden State and have won four of the last five, six of the last eight and nine of the last 12. However, the Warriors prevailed last time out, 98-70, after Portland had won the first two meetings of the season by scores of 111-93 and 119-93. The latter of those two wins came in the Rose Garden. The Blazers have won two in a row and six of their last seven at home and hold an all-time 58-13 series advantage in Portland. When playing in the Bay Area, the Blazers are 27-47. SO FAR THIS SEASON --- Portland rolled to a 111-93 victory on the road on Nov. 5, in the opener of its four-game season with the Warriors. The Blazers duplicated the feat by thumping Golden State, 119-93, in the Rose Garden on Nov. 29, but three days later stumbled as they went down to the same Warrior team, 98-70, in San Jose. Rasheed Wallaceis Portland's leading scorer in the series thus far, averaging 20.0 ppg. Four other Blazers, Isaiah Rider (14.3 ppg), Kenny Anderson (14.0), Clifford Robinson (13.3) and Gary Trent (10.7) have averaged in double figures in the three games. Portland is shooting 45% (114-251) from the field and Golden State 41% (92-223). The Blazers have a slight rebounding edge, 43.0-41.7. THE LAST TWO GAMES NINE IN A ROW --- Portland made its first home outing after a five-game road trip a big one, rolling to a 115-81 victory over the Vancouver Friday in the Rose Garden. It was Portland's season-best ninth straight home win and ran its record to 14-2 since Feb. 28. The Blazers had a 32-19 lead after one quarter then exploded behind a record long-range shooting exhibition by Clifford Robinson. Robinson, who scored 22 of his game-high 26 points in the second period, canned a club record six three-pointers in as many attempts during the 12-minute flurry to give the Blazers a 66-41 intermission lead. The six treys in a period equalled the second highest number ever in regular season NBA action. All 12 Blazers contributed to point total for the third time this season, and each of them scored at least two field goals. The Blazers shot 54.7% (47-86) from the floor to Vancouver s 43.8% (32-73) and outrebounded the Grizzlies, 40-37. Portland, which won its fifth straight in the series, came up with a season-high 14 steals in the game. The win margin was the second biggest of the year. STINGING THE HORNETS --- Portland finished off its most productive road trip of the season, a five-games-in-seven-days challenge, with an 88-87 victory at Charlotte. The win, the second on the trip in three days over teams with better records, gave the Blazers a 3-2 record for the week s journey and was their 13th victory in their last 15 outings. Clifford Robinson, who led Portland with 25 points, put the Blazers ahead for good, 80-79, with 4:53 remaining. Another basket by Robinson, one by Wallace and Kenny Anderson s four points down the stretch preserved the win in a tight ball game that saw the lead change hands six times and the biggest lead three points by either team in the final 12 minutes. Portland finished shooting 48% for the game (38-79) and Charlotte, which lost at home for only the ninth time in 34 games, 45% (31-69). The Hornets Glen Rice led all scorers in the game with 33 points. The victory gave Portland a sweep of its season series with the Hornets. BLAZING --- The Trail Blazers swished in 54.7% of their field goals Friday against Vancouver, the eighth time in the last 16 games they topped the 50% mark. In five of the games, Portland has done better than 54%, including a season-best 57.9% in the win over Utah on Feb. 28 that started the current 14-2 run. The Blazers, hitting at a 50.4% clip in the 16 outings, are now 19-3 in games when they shoot 50% or better. Portland's field goal percentage is 46.5%, the league s ninth best mark. MAKING THE DIFFERENCE --- Portland's current run of 14-2 is a dramatic turnaround from the previous 14 outings when the Blazers were 4-10. In the last 16 contests, the Blazers have averaged 102.8 ppg and outscored their opponents by 10.5 a game, have grabbed a 4.4 rebounds per game edge and shot 50.4% from the field and 40.7% from long range. In the previous 14 games, they averaged 96.4 ppg, were outscored by 3.6 points a contest, outrebounded 1.0 per game while shooting 44.4% from the field and 33% from three-point range. Portland has gone over the 100-point mark in nine of its last 16 games while topping the century mark only five times when going 4-10. On the opposite side, opponents have bettered 100 points just four times in the last 16 while doing better than 100 in 10 of the previous 14 contests. ON DEFENSE --- Portland has the NBA's seventh toughest defense to shoot against, holding foes to .439 field goal accuracy in 73 games, which is below the all-time club season defensive mark of .442 . . . Its defensive average of 95.7 ppg is the 12th best in the league and a full point below the team's record for a season . . . The Blazers have kept opponents below the 40 percent mark 18 times and 40 times below 45 percent . . . In winning 43 games, the Blazers have held 32 opponents under 100 points and overall have allowed only 25 of 73 to top the century mark. ON OFFENSE --- Portland has the ninth most productive offense in the league, averaging 99.1 points a contest . . . The Trail Blazers have a .465 field goal percentage after 73 games, the NBA's ninth best . . . In winning 43 games, the Blazers margin of victory is 12.3 ppg, with the cushion being 10 or more points in 23 games and 20 or more nine times . . . Portland's overall point margin of +3.4 is the league s 10th best . . . Of the Blazers 30 losses, 17 have been by six points or less, nine have been by three or under, and six have been one-pointers . . . Portland is 23-11 in games decided by 10 points or more but 11-13 when the margin is four points or under and 3-8 when its two or under. ON THE BOARDS --- The Blazers rank third in the NBA in total rebounding percentage---the share of total misses in a game a team rebounds---(.522), fourth in defensive rebounding percentage (.718) and fourth in offensive percentage (.325) . . . The Blazers have an overall advantage of 4.5 rebounds per game and a 3.5 per game margin on the defensive glass . . . Portland has outrebounded 53 of 73 opponents this season and 11 times has claimed 50 or more in a game . . . The Blazers are among the top five rebounding teams in the league for the 10th straight season despite not having an individual among the league s top 30. AMONG THE NBA LEADERS ---RASHEED WALLACE, 4th in field goal percentage, .558 (325-582) ---GARY TRENT, 8th in field goal percentage, .537 (322-600) ---ARVYDAS SABONIS, 26th in field goal percentage, .498 (294-590). His 7.8 rbs and 1.23 blocks per game are not ranked among the leaders because he does meet the established minimum for games played. ---KENNY ANDERSON , 16th in assists (7.0), is 12th in steals (1.89), 28th in scoring (17.9), 32nd in minutes played (37.9) ---ISAIAH RIDER, 40th in scoring, (16.0), 28th in three-point percentage, .380 (90-237), 39th in free-throw percentage, .798 (121-327) ---CHRIS DUDLEY, 24th in blocked shots (1.26), 38th in rebounding (7.2) ---CLIFFORD ROBINSON, 28th in minutes played (38.0) BALANCED ACT --- Portland is ninth in the league in scoring and third in rebounding, yet no Trail Blazer shows up in the top 25 in either category . . . However, six Blazers, led by Kenny Anderson s 17.9 ppg, are averaging in double figures and all six have led the team in scoring at least four times . . . The Blazers balance on the glass is even more pronounced: Arvydas Sabonis (7.8 rpg), Chris Dudley (7.2 rpg) and Rasheed Wallace (6.8 rpg) are Portland's leaders but none of the three rank among the NBA's top 30 boardsmen . . . One reason for Portland's continued position as one of the league s rebounding elite is balance. No fewer than 10 different Blazers have grabbed game rebounding honors this season. ANDERSON'S ASSISTS COUNTING UP --- Kenny Anderson contributed 51 assists in his last six games and now has dished out 522 for the season (7.0 per game, 16th best in the league). That means $10,440 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, pledged $20 for every assist he makes during the season. As part of the NBA's youth initiative TeamUp, the Trail Blazers are committed to help build public awareness of Kids Making Miracles, a volunteer organization of Oregon and SW Washington grade and high school students. ATTENDANCE IN TOP THREE --- Portland has averaged 21,217 fans in its last ten home games and, despite playing in the league s sixth smallest market, ranks behind only Charlotte and Chicago in home game attendance. All 36 Blazers home games thus far have been in the 20,000-plus category and have included five sellouts. Total attendance is 745,498 with an average through the March 28 Grizzlies game of 20,708. 1,000th SINCE '77 --- The current edition of the Trail Blazers used their win at New York to put an exclamation point on the upcoming 20th anniversary celebration of Portland's 1977 NBA Championship. The victory over the Knicks was the team's 1,000th since the start of the 1976-77 season. Only Boston and the Lakers have recorded 1,000 wins in that same time span. The 1,000 victories is part of the 1977 team's legacy. Prior to 1976-77, the Blazers had not experienced a winning season nor had they been in the playoffs. Since the start of that season, Portland has won 58.5% of its games (1,000-711), has had only two losing years and this season will make its league-best 15th straight playoff appearance and the 20th in 21 years. The Blazers have been in four conference finals and in the NBA title round three times. Accomplishments of the 1977 team will be celebrated at a dinner gala Thursday, April 3, and at halftime and during post-game ceremonies at the April 4 Milwaukee game. Most of the 1977 players and coaches are planning to be on hand, including Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas, Bobby Gross, Dave Twardzik and Lionel Hollins and Coach Jack Ramsay. Award-winning author David Halberstam will be the featured speaker at the gala on April 3. P.J. MOVES UP TO THIRD --- P.J. Carlesimo, whose team has won 14 of its last 16 games, is now the Blazers third winningest coach with a 131-107 record (55.3%). Ahead of him are Jack Ramsay (453-367, 55.2%) and Rick Adelman (291-154, 65.4%). Mike Shuler posted a 127-84 record (60.2%) in his two plus years with the Blazers. Last season, Carlesimo guided Portland to a 44-38 record for the second consecutive season. BUCKS ON FRIDAY --- Portland takes two nights off after tonight s matchup with the Warriors then hosts Milwaukee Saturday (7 p.m., KEX Radio) in the first game of a home back-to-back combination that continues Saturday against Phoenix (7 p.m., KEX Radio, BlazerVision). The Blazers, who have four of their remaining eight games in the Rose Garden, head out on their last multiple-game road trip the following week, playing in Denver on Monday, Dallas on Tuesday and San Antonio on Thursday. THE BLAZERS KENNY ANDERSON --- Friday vs. Grizzlies: 10 pts (4-8 fgs, 0-1 3pt, 2-2 fts), shared game honors with 7 assists, game-high 4 steals, 27 minutes . . . Wednesday at Charlotte: 16 pts, 8 assists, 3 rbs, 2 steals, 1 block, 39 minutes . . . Tuesday at Atlanta: 15 pts, 9 assists, 3 rbs, 42 minutes . . . Has 29 +20 games and 11 double-doubles this season. . . Has averaged 17.4 ppg and 8.2 assists in Blazers 14-2 run . . . Scored a season high 35 points Feb. 15 vs. Houston . . . Dished out a season-high 15 assists, scored 22 pts and had only 1 TO in 43 minutes at Phoenix Jan. 24 . . . Scored a season-high 34 pts in a season-high 49 minutes Dec. 13 at the Lakers . . . Scored 32 points vs. Houston Nov. 26 . . . Led team in scoring 24 times, in assists 50 times . . . Team's leading scorer at 18.1 ppg, the assists leader (7.1 avg.) and tops in steals (1.89 avg.) . . . 29th in the NBA in scoring, 16th in assists, 13th in steals, 30th in minutes played (38.0) . . . One of 25 players in the league averaging at least 4 assists and 4 rebounds a game (7.0 and 4.5) . . . Signed as a free agent July 23 . . . Split last season between New Jersey and Charlotte after playing his first four seasons with the Nets. . . New Jersey s 1st round draft choice (2nd overall) in 1991 . . . Starting East guard in the 1994 NBA All-Star Game . . . vs. WARRIORS THIS SEASON: Averaged 14.0 pts, 4.3 assists, 3.0 rbs, 2.3 steals, 26.3 minutes in three games, including two starts. STACEY AUGMON --- Friday vs. Grizzlies: 4 pts (2-3 fgs), 1 assist, 1 rb, 1 steal, 12 minutes . . . Wednesday at Charlotte: 2 pts, 3 rbs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 20 minutes . . . Tuesday at Atlanta: 6 pts, 8 minutes . . . Tied season-high with 13 pts at the Clippers Mar. 16 . . . Shooting 17-of-26 from field and has had eight steals in last eight games while averaging 5.5 pts and 14.9 minutes a game . . . Scored a season-high 13 pts in 30 minutes in his first start as a Blazer Feb. 24 vs. Chicago . . . Acquired Jan. 24 from Detroit in exchange for guards Randolph Childress, Reggie Jordan and Aaron McKie . . . In 20 games with the Pistons, averaged 4.5 pts 14.6 minutes . . . Played his first five NBA seasons with Atlanta before being traded to Detroit last summer . . . In five seasons with Atlanta, played 390 games, starting 355, and averaged 13.7 pts . . . Has registered 100 or more steals in four of his first five seasons . . . A 1992 All-NBA Rookie first team selection . . . Had a career-high 36 points versus the Blazers on Jan. 3, 1995 . . . Played on two NCAA Final Four teams at UNLV, including the Runnin Rebels 1990 NCAA championship club. MARCUS BROWN --- Placed on injured list March 7 (strained left groin) . . . Last appearance Mar. 5 at Suns: 0 pts, 1 rb, 3 minutes . . . Scored a career-high 13 pts in a career-high 26 minutes Feb. 24 vs. Chicago . . . Scored a career-high 13 pts in a career-high 16 minutes Jan. 29 at Detroit . . . 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 . . . vs. WARRIORS THIS SEASON: On injured list for all three games. MITCHELL BUTLER --- Friday vs. Grizzlies: 7 pts (3-6 fgs, 1-1 3pt, 0-1 fts), 2 rbs, 1 assist, 1 steal, 12 minutes . . . Did not play (coach's decision) in previous three games . . . Scored a season-high 17 points in 27 minutes March 14 vs. Clevleand . . . Placed on injured list Feb. 24 (effusion of the left knee) . . . Had season-high 8 rebounds in season-high 33 minutes Jan. 14 vs. Detroit . . . Activated Dec. 13 after spending five games on injured list (tendenitis, both knees) . . . Obtained in trade, along with Rasheed Wallace, with Washington for Rod Strickland and Harvey Grant on July 15 . . . Not drafted, he was signed as a free agent by the Bullets in 1993 after playing in more games than any player in UCLA . . . vs. WARRIORS THIS SEASON: Averaged 2.3 pts, 0.7 assists, 1.7 rbs, 0.7 steals, 0.3 blocks, 10.7 minutes in three games. CHRIS DUDLEY --- Friday vs. Grizzlies: 8 pts (3-4 fgs, 2-4 fts), 6 rbs, 1 block, 17 minutes . . . Wednesday at Charlotte: 4 pts, 7 rbs, 1 block, 24 minutes . . . Tuesday at Atlanta: 4 pts, game-high 14 rbs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 24 minutes . . . Sat out Feb. 16 Boston game after playing in 72 consecutive contests, which was the Blazers longest current consecutive streak . . . Has missed only three of Portland's last 236 games . . . Grabbed a season and game-high 15 rebounds in a season-high 43 minutes Feb. 4 vs. Chicago . . . Scored season-high 12 pts Jan. 28 at Toronto . . . Blocked a season-high five shots Dec. 1 at Golden State . . . Second on team in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and leader in blocked shots (1.27) despite starting just 12 games . . . Ranks 24th in the league in blocks and 37th in rebounding .. . Blazers leader in rebounds and blocks previous two seasons . . . 10th year in the league, the team's longest tenured player . . . 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. WARRIORS THIS SEASON: Averaged 2.7 pts, 6.7 rbs, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.3 blocks, 24.3 minutes in three games. JERMAINE O'NEAL --- Friday vs. Grizzlies: 6 pts (2-6 fgs, 2-2 fts), 4 rbs, 14 minutes . . . Did not play (coach's decision) in previous four games . . . Grabbed a career-high 8 rbs at Utah Feb. 13 . . . Scored career-high 20 in career-high 25 minutes Jan. 22 at Seattle . . . Scored 10 pts in 11 minutes vs. Detroit Jan. 14. . . Had a career-high 3 blocks vs. San Antonio, Dec. 29 . . . 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 3 minutes of action . . . At 18 years, 1 month and 21 days, he was younger than the Lakers Kobe Bryant, who was 18 years, 2 months, 11 days when he appeared in his first game . . . Spent season s first 17 games on the injured list . . . Scored the first points as a pro 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. . . . vs. WARRIORS THIS SEASON: On injured list for all three games. ISAIAH RIDER --- Friday vs. Grizzlies: 8 pts (3-8 fgs, 0-3 3pt, 2-2 fts), 3 assists, 24 minutes . . . Wednesday at Charlotte: 2 pts, 5 assists, 2 rbs, 1 steal, 1 block, 31 minutes . . . Tuesday at Atlanta: Team-high 22 pts, 5 rbs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 40 minutes . . . Has averaged 17.3 pts and shot 56.8% from ther field during Portland's 14-2 run . . . Registered personal and team season-high 40 pts (13-19 fgs, 2-2 3pt, 12-13 fts) in 43 minutes Feb. 16 vs. Boston --- Two points off his career high, making him only second Blazer to top 40-point mark in two seasons . . . 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.) . . . Grabbed a game and season-high 11 rebounds vs. Seattle Dec. 18 . . . Dished out a career-high 11 assists Nov. 26 at Houston . . . Ranks 39th in league in scoring (16.1 ppg) and 23rd in 3pt accuracy . . . 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 . . . vs. WARRIORS THIS SEASON: Averaged 14.3 pts, 5.7 rbs, 2.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.3 blocks, 34.0 minutes in three starts. CLIFFORD ROBINSON --- Friday vs. Grizzlies: 26 points---22 of them in the second quarter (10-15 fgs, 6-8 3pt), 2 rbs, 2 assists, 29 minutes---Made all six of his treys in second quarter splurge, a Blazers all-time record for a quarter and a half, and equal to the NBA's second best effort ever . . . Wednesday at Charlotte: Team-high 25 pts, 3 rbs, 4 assists, 1 steal, 44 minutes . . . Tuesday at Atlanta: 0 pts, 5 rbs, 1 steal, in 19 minutes . . . Held scoreless at Washington Mar. 22 for the first time in 549 games, going back April 11, 1990 of his rookie season---0 pts in 41 minutes . . . Registered a season and team-high 10 rbs, a team-high 6 assists, plus 15 points and 4 steals in 41 minutes Feb. 2 at Minnesota . . . Second on the team in assists with a 3.3 average . . .Has led club in assists 11 times, equalling the number of times he did it in his first six seasons combined . . . Matched his career high with 9 assists Jan. 25 vs. Minnesota . . . Scored season-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 28th in the NBA in minutes played (38.0) . . . Leading scorer the past two seasons . . . Averaged 21.1 points in 1995-96, league s 16th highest . . . Is in the top six in 15 of 17 Blazers career categories, including fourth in scoring (10,285 pts), fourth in games played (634), second in three-pointers made (482), and second in blocked shots (720) . . . vs. WARRIORS THIS SEASON: Averaged 13.3 pts, 2.3 rbs, 3.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks, 37.3 minutes in three starts. RUMEAL ROBINSON --- Friday vs. Grizzlies: 6 pts (3-3 fgs), 4 rbs, equaled season highs with 5 assists and 4 rbs, season highs of 3 steals and 22 minutes . . . Wednesday at Charlotte: 4 pts, 3 assists, 9 minutes. . . Tuesday at Atlanta: 0 pts, 1 assist, 6 minutes . . . Signed for the remainder of the season March 6 . . . at Chicago Feb. 24: scored 2 pts in 14 minutes in his first game back with Blazers after signing to a 10-day contract the same day . . . Started the season with the Lakers and played in 15 games including three starts. . . Scored a season high 10 points vs. San Antonio Nov. 19 . . . Traded, along with Cedric Ceballos, to Phoenix for Robert Horry and Joe Kleine on Jan. 10 . . .Played 11 games with the Suns before being waived Feb. 15 . . . Appeared in 43 games as a Blazer last season, averaging 5.7 pts in 16.6 minutes . . . A 1st round draft choice (10th overall) by Atlanta in 1990, he played his first four seasons in the NBA with Atlanta, New Jersey and Charlotte . . . Led Michigan in scoring in 1990 and was a key to the run for the 1989 NCAA Championship, including making two free throws in the final minute to seal the victory in the title game over P.J. Carlesimo s Seton Hall team. GARY TRENT --- Friday vs. Grizzlies: 5 pts (2-6 fgs, 1-4 fts), 5 rbs, career-high 7 assists (previous high twice previously), 1 steal, 23 minutes . . . Wednesday at Charlotte: 8 pts, 3 rbs, 14 minutes . . . Tuesday at Atlanta: 13 pts, 5 rbs, 1 assist, 2 steals, 30 minutes as a starter . . . For fourth time in seven games equalled career high with 24 pts Feb. 2 at Minnesota . . . Jan. 24 at Suns: Matched career high with game-high 24 pts and tied career high with 13 rbs in 36 minutes --- 10 field goals also a career high . . . Scored career-high 24 pts (9-11 fgs, 6-6 fts) in 32 minutes at Seattle Jan. 22 . . . 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 . . . Firing at a 53.7% clip from the field (322-600), the NBA's eighth best mark . . . First round draft pick (11th overall) by Milwaukee in 1995 . . . Portland acquired his draft rights in an exchange involving Shawn Respert s draft rights . . . vs. WARRIORS THIS SEASON: Averaged 10.7 pts, 4.3 rbs, 0.3 steals, 19.3 minutes in three games. ARVYDAS SABONIS --- Friday vs. Grizzlies: 18 pts (7-10 fgs, 1-2 3pt, 3-4 fts), 6 rbs, 1 assist, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 22 minutes . . . Wednesday at Charlotte: 10 pts, 5 rbs, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 24 minutes . . . Tuesday at Atlanta: 10 pts, 6 rbs, 5 assists, 2 steals, 24 minutes . . . Has team-high 13 double-doubles . . . Feb. 19 at Orlando: 8 pts, 5 rbs, 1 block, 21 minutes in his first action since Jan. 22 . . . Placed on the injured list Jan. 24 because of a deeply bruised left calf sustained in a fourth quarter collision in Jan. 22 game at Seattle . . . Tallied 22 pts in a career high-equalling 41 minutes Jan. 19 vs. Utah. . . Has led Blazers in scoring on nine occasions, in rebounding 28 times, and assists four times . . . Scored career-high 33 points and had career high-equalling 11 field goals (14 attempts) on a career-high 14 fts in the Jan. 4 win at Dallas . . . Equalled his career high with 26 points and had 13 rebounds Dec. 26 at Utah . . . Played a career-high 41 minutes Dec. 13 at the Lakers . . Grabbed career-high 17 rebounds at Minnesota Nov. 7 . . . Team's leading rebounder (7.8 rpg) and second in blocked shots (1.23) . . . On the NBA's All-Rookie first team last season, the first Blazer to make it since Sam Bowie in 1985 . . . Runner-up for 1996 Schick Rookie of the Year and NBA Sixth Man honors . . . Gained his third Olympic Games medal during the summer in helping Lithuania to the Bronze at Atlanta . . . vs. WARRIORS THIS SEASON: Averaged 7.7 pts, 2.7 rbs, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, 15.0 minutes in three starts. RASHEED WALLACE --- Friday vs. Grizzlies: 13 pts (6-9 fgs, 1-2 fts), 6 rbs, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 24 minutes---four of his six baskets were dunks . . . Wednesday at Charlotte: 17 pts, team-high 9 rbs, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 35 minutes . . . Tuesday at Atlanta:13 pts, 4 assists, 1 block, 35 minutes . . . Has 14 20+ games . . . Played a career-high 45 minutes in the Feb. 26 OT loss to New York . . . Tied his career high with 14 rbs and set a new career standard with 15 free throw attempts Feb. 15 vs. Houston . . . Activated Feb. 4 vs. Chicago after missing 19 games and scored 2 pts and had 4 rbs in 14 minutes . . . Placed on injured list Dec. 27 after surgery on his thumb . . . Dec. 23 vs. Washington: 5 pts, 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 . . . His 32 points at Golden State Nov. 5 was the first 30-plus game of his career . . . No. 4 among NBA's top field goal percentage shooters (55.8% on 325-582) . . . 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 . . . vs. WARRIORS THIS SEASON: Averaged team-best 20.0 pts, 9.3 rbs, 2.3 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.7 blocks, 33.7 minutes in three starts. DONTONIO WINGFIELD --- Friday vs. Grizzlies: . . . Wednesday at Charlotte: Did not play (coach's decision) . . . Tuesday at Atlanta: 6 pts, 12 minutes . . . Did not play (coach's decision) in previous two games . . . Grabbed a career-high 12 rbs and scored 14 points at Boston Jan. 31 . . . Scored season-high 16 points at Phoenix Jan. 24 . . . Played season-high 27 minutes vs. the Lakers Jan. 6 . . . 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 . . . An early entry draft candidate after one year of collegiate basketball at the University of Cincinnati . . . vs. WARRIORS THIS SEASON: Averaged 2.0 pts, 1.7 rbs, 0.7 assists, 7.0 minutes in three games. John Christensen Chuck Charnquist ************************************************************ Send subscribe/unsubscribe messages to majordomo@ripcity.com ************************************************************