PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS at DALLAS MAVERICKS GAME NO. 78---TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 1997 Record: Overall---45-32, Home---27-12, Road---18-20 ON TO DALLAS --- Portland, 45-32 and playing its fourth game in five days, will be looking to keep it rolling on the road Tuesday when it tangles with the Mavericks in Reunion Arena. Las night, the Blazers stopped Denver, 110-104, in the Mile High City for their 16th victory in their last 20 games and the sixth in the last eight on the road. The win in Denver was the 45th of the season, the most in three campaigns under P.J. Carlesimo. The Blazers are in range of finishing with the club's best mark since 1992-93 when Portland was 51-31. The Blazers finished with identical 44-38 records the last two seasons and were 47-35 in 1993-94. At 45-32, the Blazers are four wins better than they were a year ago after 77 games. The Trail Blazers, playing the middle game of a busy five-games-in-seven-days slate, will be shooting for their fifth series sweep of the Mavericks in the last eight seasons. Portland has already clinched a Western Conference Playoff berth for the 15th consecutive year---the NBA's longest current streak. After last weekend's action in the conference, the Blazers are locked into the fifth playoff slot. Minnesota's loss to Indiana Sunday erased any possibility of Portland being bumped out of fifth while wins by the Lakers and Rockets eliminated any Portland hope of moving up. With 17 days to go before post-season action begins, only a half-game separates Seattle, Los Angeles and Houston in the tight scramble for second, third and fourth. One of those teams will be Portland's first round playoff foe. PROBABLE STARTERS --- F--No. 3 Clifford Robinson (6-10), F--No. 30 Rasheed Wallace (6-10), C--No. 24 Chris Dudley (6-11), G--No. 34 Isaiah Rider (6-5), G--No. 7 Kenny Anderson (6-1). INJURY REPORT --- Center Arvydas Sabonis suffered a left quadricep contusion in the third quarter of Saturday's game with Phoenix. Decision will be day-to-day on his availability. 15 STRAIGHT --- The Blazers have locked up 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 (1977-1993), and 16---Minneapolis/Los Angeles (1959-74). Portland, with five regular season games remaining, occupies the West's fifth spot behind the Lakers and Houston. ANOTHER WINNING YEAR --- The Blazers, with 45 victories (the most wins in three seasons), have their 18th winning record 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 during the same time span. Behind the Blazers are 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. THE BLAZERS-DALLAS SERIES --- Portland leads in its all-time series with Dallas, 49-26, and can sweep the Mavs for the second straight year with a win tonight in Reunion. It would be the firth series sweep in the last eight campaigns for Portland. The Blazers, who have won three straight and 10 of their last 12 in Big D, can even their all-time road record with Dallas by winning tonight. Portland comes in with an 18-19 record in the Mavs house. Portland has won seven in a row from Dallas, including victories of 107-77, 110-104 and 80-69 this season. The Mavericks last win in the series was by a 102-90 score on their last visit to Portland's Memorial Coliseum on April 15, 1995. Portland has an all-time home floor record of 31-7 against Dallas. SO FAR THIS SEASON --- The Blazers have taken all three games from the Mavericks. Portland outscored Dallas, 58-32, in the second half of their first meeting on Dec. 20 in the Rose Garden and went on to post a 107-77 victory. Portland had its biggest rebounding game of the season in that win, controlling the boards, 55-29. Arvydas Sabonis scored a career-high 33 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and all five starters finished in double figures in Game 2 in Dallas as the Blazers held on for a 110-104 win. Portland made it three in a row over the Mavs on March 7, using defense big-time to post an 80-69 success. The Blazers limited Dallas to 45 points in the first three quarters and held the visitors to 30% field goal shooting for the game. The 69 points marked the second time in three games Dallas lowered its all-time series point total against Portland. In the three contests, the Blazers outscored the Mavericks by 15.7 points a game, outrebounded them by 13.7 a game and shot 47% from the field while holding the Texas club to 36%. Sabonis and Clifford Robinson each averaged 18.3 points in the three contests to lead Portland scoring. THE LAST TWO GAMES DOING IN DENVER --- The Blazers withstood a record Nugget long-range attack in the first half to pull out a 110-104 victory in Denver last night. The victory, Portland's sixth in its last eight on the road, was its 45th of the season. Isaiah Rider had the hot hand for the Blazers, tallying 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting. Clifford Robinson added 23 points and Chris Dudley, starting in place of Arvydas Sabonis (in street clothes due to a bruised quadricep) added 11 points and 13 rebounds. Portland converted at a 48.9% clip from the field for the game (45-92); Denver was 46.8% (37-79). The Nuggets bombed in an all-time Blazers opponent record 11 three pointers in the first half but made only one in the second. After trailing 61-58 at halftime, Portland outscored Denver 32-21 in the third quarter to take command then had to hold on down the stretch for their seventh straight win over the Nuggets. The Blazers controlled the backboards, 50-36. SUNS BURN BLAZERS --- Portland was outscored, 31-18, in the third quarter and went down, 99-90, at the hands of Phoenix Saturday in the Rose Garden. It was the Blazers second homecourt loss in three games but only the third in 16 since the All Star break. The Suns extended their winning streak to nine in a row. After trailing by nine to start the final period, the Blazers behind Kenny Anderson, who had a team-high 22 points, rallied to knot the score at 81 with 4:26 remaining. But the Suns, led by Kenvin Johnson, put the game away down the stretch, scoring 13 of their final 18 points at the foul line as the Blazers were whistled for five personal fouls and four technicals in the game's final 3:48. Johnson scored 11 of his game-high 30 points during that run. The Blazers shot 42.5% from the floor (37-87), and the Suns 41.8% (33-79). Portland finished 12-of-15 from the free throw line and Phoenix, 25-of-30. Despite the loss, Portland claimed the season series, 3-1. MAKING THE DIFFERENCE --- Portland's current run of 16-4 is a big turnaround from the previous 14 outings when the Blazers were 4-10. In the last 20 contests, the Blazers have averaged 101.7 ppg and outscored their opponents by 8.5 points a game, have grabbed 5.5 more rebounds a game than their foew, and shot 48.9% from the field. In the previous 14 games, they averaged 96.4 ppg, were outscored by 3.6 points a contest, were outrebounded by 1.0 a game and shot 44.4% from the field. Portland been over the 100-point mark in 11 of its last 20 games while topping the century mark only five times in the previous 14 games. On the opposite side, opponents have bettered 100 just five times in the last 20 contests while doing better than 100 in ten of the previous 14 games. THE OFFENSE --- Portland has the 10th most productive offense in the league, averaging 99.0 points a contest . . . The Blazers have a .463 field goal percentage after 77 games, the NBA's ninth best mark . . . In winning 45 games, the Blazers margin of victory is 12.2 ppg, with the cushion being 10 points or more in 24 games and 20 or more nine times . . . Portland's overall point differential of +3.2 is the league's 10th best mark . . . Of the Blazers 32 losses, 17 have been by six points or less, nine have been by three or under and six have been one pointers . . . Portland is 24-11 in games decided by 10 points or more but 11-13 when the difference is four points or under and 3-8 when its two or below. THE DEFENSE --- Portland has the NBA's seventh toughest defense to shoot against, holding foes to .439 field goal accuracy in 77 games, which is below the club's all-time defensive mark of .442 . . . Its defensive average of 95.7 ppg is the 13th 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 field goal mark 18 times and below 45 percent 42 times . . . In winning 45 games, the Blazers have held 33 opponents under 100 points and overall ave allowed only 26 of 77 to top the century mark. THE REBOUNDING --- The Blazers rank second in the NBA in total rebounding percentage---the share of total misses in a game a team claims---(.524), are second in defensive rebounding percentage (.722), and are fourth in offensive rebounding percentage (.327) . . . The Blazers have an overall advantage of 4.6 rebounds per game and a 3.5 per game margin on the defensive glass . . . Portland has outrebounded 56 of 77 opponents and 13 times has claimed 50 or more misses in a game . . . The Blazers are among the top five rebounding teams in the league for the 10th consecutive year despite not having an individual among the league's top 30. AMONG THE NBA LEADERS ---Rasheed Wallace, 4th in field goal percentage, .554 (351-634) ---Gary Trent, 8th in field goal percentage, .537 (337-628) ---Arvydas Sabonis, 31st in field goal percentage, .495 (305-616) ---Kenny Anderson, 11th in steals (1.92), 16th in assists (7.1), 29th in scoring (17.8), 30th in minutes (37.8) ---Isaiah Rider, 27th in 3-point percentage, .382 (92-251), 39th in scoring (16.3) ---Chris Dudley, 23rd in blocked shots (1.21), 37th in rebounding (7.3) ---Clifford Robinson, 26th in minutes played (38.1), 38th in blocked shots (0.83) WALLACE MOST IMPROVED! --- Second-year forward Rasheed Wallace, a key to the young Trail Blazers surge to the playoffs, is a serious contender for the league's Most Improved Player award. the 6-10 Wallace, who averaged 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds as a rookie with Washington last season, has blossomed in his starting power forward role with the Blazers. Rasheed is the team's fourth leading scorer and third leading rebounder, is averaging 15.2 points and 6.8 rebounds a game, and shooting 55.4% from the field, the NBA's fourth best mark. That is up from 48.7% in 65 games with the Bullets last season, not in the league's top 75. Of second-year players in the league, only one has had a better improvement in scoring and none has improved more in rebounding. Rasheed has bettered his career high points scored in a game eight times this season, including an all-time best 38 at Sacramento Dec. 21. BACK-TO-BACKS --- Tuesday's game with Dallas closes out the 20th of 21 sets of back-to-back games (contests on consecutive nights) on Portland's 1996-97 schedule. Portland downed Denver last night to raise their overall mark in back-to-backs to 22-17. They are 10-9 in second games of two-night sets and are 6-7 when the second game takes place on the road. BALANCED ACT --- Portland is 10th in the league in scoring and second in rebounding yet no Trail Blazer shows up in the top 25 in either category . . . However, six Blazers, led by Kenny Anderson s 17.8 ppg, are averaging in double figures and each of the six has 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 (7.3 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 reas for Portland's continued position among the NBA's rebounding elite is balance. No fewere than 10 different Blazers have grabbed game rebounding honors this season. 22 IN A ROW --- Portland has won more than 37 games for the 22nd consecutive season. The closest any NBA team can come to that consistency is Seattle which now has at least 31wins in each of the last 22 seasons. ATTENDANCE IN TOP THREE --- Portland had its seventh sellout of the season Saturday for Phoenix and has averaged 21,268 fans in its last 13 home games. Despite playing in the league's sixth smallest market, the Blazers rank behind only Charlotte and Chicago in home attendance. All 39 Blazers home games thus far have been in the 20,000-plus category. Total attendance so far is 809,813 with an average of 20,764. KIDS MAKING MIRACLES A FINALIST --- Kids Making Miracles, a volunteer organization of hundreds of Oregon and Southwest Washington grade and high school students committed to raising $1 million to build a state-of-the-art health care facility at Portland's Doernbecher Children s Hospital, has been named one of four finalists for the NBA's 1997 TeamUp Award. The TeamUp Award is a feature component of the NBA program of the same name that encourages youth-sponsored programs working to improve communities through volunteer involvement. The Trail Blazers are helping build public awareness of the Kids Making Miracles effort. Blazers guard Kenny Anderson, honorary campaign chairman, has pledged $20 for every assist he dishes out this season. To date, Kenny s 545 assists have netted $10,900 for the drive which now has passed the $600,000 mark. Other finalists for the 1997 TeamUp Award were in Cleveland, Miami, Vancouver, B.C., and Sheldon, Texas, the 1997 Award winner. P.J. MOVES UP TO THIRD --- P.J. Carlesimo, whose team has won 16 of its last 20 games, is now the Blazers third winningest coach with a 133-108 record (55.2%). 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. In his first two seasons, Carlesimo had identical records of 44-38. ON TO SAN ANTONIO --- After tonight's clash with the Mavs, Portland moves on to San Antonio for a Thursday date with the Spurs (5:30 p.m., KEX Radio, KGW-TV). Portland returns home for a rematch with the Nuggets on Wednesday (7 p.m., KEX Radio, BlazerVision), goes to Vancouver the next night then wraps up its regular season schedule on Sunday, April 20 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Rose Garden. THE BLAZERS KENNY ANDERSON --- Monday at the Nuggets: 14 pts (6-14 fgs, 0-3 3pt, 2-3 fts), game-high 9 assists, 5 rbs, 1 steal, 1 block, 33 minutes . . . Saturday vs. Phoenix: Team-high 22 pts, 6 assists, 3 rbs, 2 steals, 39 minutes before fouling out for the second time this season with 32.6 seconds remaining in the game. He was ejected after receiving his sixth foul . . . Friday vs. Bucks: 17 pts, 4 assists, 4 rbs, 2 steals, 1 block, 35 minutes . . . Has 30 20-plus games and 11 double-doubles this season . . . Scored a season-high 35 points Feb. 15 at Houston . . . Dished out a season-high 15 assists, scored 22 points and had only one TO in 43 minutes at Phoenix Jan. 24 . . . Scored 34 points in a season-high 49 minutes Dec. 13 at the Lakers . . . Team leader in scoring 24 times and in assists 51 times . . . Team's leading scorer with 17.8 ppg, the assists leader (7.1), and tops in steals (1.92) . . . 29th in the NBA in scoring, 16th in assists, 11th in steals, 30th in minutes played (37.8) . . . One of 25 players in the league averaging at least 4 assists and 4 rebounds a game (7.1 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. DALLAS THIS SEASON: Averaged 14.0 pts, 9.3 assists, 5.3 rbs, 2.0 steals, 33.7 minutes in three starts. STACEY AUGMON --- Monday at the Nuggets: 0 pts (0-3 fgs), 3 rbs, 2 assists, 16 minutes . . . Saturday vs. Suns: 4 pts, 3 rbs, 3 assists, 21 minutes . . . Friday vs. Bucks: 6 pts, 3 assists, 2 rbs, 1 steal, 11 minutes . . . Tied season high with 13 pts at the Clippers Mar. 16 . . . 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 Pistons, averaged 4.5 pts and 14.6 minutes . . . Played his first five NBA seasons with Atlanta before being traded to Detroit last summer . . . In five seasons with Atlanta, played in 390 games, started 355, and averaged 13.7 ppg . . . 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 . . . vs. DALLAS THIS SEASON: 2 pts, 5 rbs, 3 assists, 2 steals, 27 minutes of Game 3. MARCUS BROWN --- Placed on injured list March 7 (strained left groin) . . . Last appearance March 5 at Phoenix: 0 pts, 1 rb, 3 minutes . . . Equalled his career-high 13 pts in a career-high 26 minutes Feb. 24 vs. Chicago . . . Scored a career-high 13 pts 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 the 4th quarter, a three-pointer (his first attempt) from the left side . . . Activated Dec. 27 after spending the first 29 games of the season on the injured list (strained right groin) sustained in practice Oct. 29 . . . Portland's 2nd round draft pick (46th overall) in the 1996 NBA Draft . . . Nation s second leading collegiate scorer in 1995-96 at Murray State with a 26.4 average . . . vs. DALLAS THIS SEASON: On injured list for all three games. MITCHELL BUTLER --- Monday at Nuggets: DNP (coach's decision) . . . Saturday vs. Suns: 0 pts, 3 minutes . . . Friday vs. Bucks: DNP (coach's decision) . . . Scored a season-high 17 pts in 27 minutes Mar. 14 vs. Cleveland . . . Placed on injured list Feb. 24 (effusion of the left knee) . . . Had season-high 8 rbs in a 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 last summer . . . Not drafted, he was signed as a free agent by the Bullets in 1993 after appearing in more games than any player in UCLA history . . . vs. DALLAS THIS SEASON: Averaged 0.7 pts, 1.7 rbs, 0.3 assists, 6.7 minutes in three games. CHRIS DUDLEY --- Monday at Nuggets: 11 pts (4-6 fgs, 3-5 fts), team-high 13 rbs, 1 assist, 28 minutes in his 13th start . . . registered his second double-double of the season . . . Saturday vs. Suns: 2 pts, team-high 11 rbs, 1 steal, 23 minutes . . . Friday vs. Bucks: 2 pts, 8 rbs, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 21 minutes . . . Has missed only three of Portland's last 247 games . . . Grabbed a season and game-high 15 rebounds in a season-high 43 minutes Feb. 4 vs. Chicago . . . Scored a season-high 12 pts Jan. 28 at Toronto . . . Blocked a season-high five shots at Golden State Dec. 1 . . . Second on team in rebounding (7.3 rpg) and leader in blocked shots (1.21) despite starting just 13 games . . . Ranks 23rd in the league in blocks and 37th in rebounding . . . Blazers leader in rebounding and blocked shots past two seasons . . . 10th year in the league, Portland's longest tenured player . . . 1996 winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award presented by the Professional Basketball Writers Association in recognition of outstanding community service and charitable work . . . vs. DALLAS THIS SEASON: Averaged 4.0 pts, 6.7 rbs, 1.0 assists, 1.7 blocks, 21.0 minutes in three games. JERMAINE O'NEAL --- Monday at Nuggets: 0 pts (0-2 fgs), 2 rbs, 1 block, 7 minutes . . . Saturday vs. Suns: DNP (coach's decision) . . . Friday vs. Bucks: 13 pts, 6 rbs, 1 block, 16 minutes---his second highest point total . . . Grabbed a career-high 8 rbs at Utah Feb. 13 . . . Scored a career-high 20 points in a career-high 25 minutes at Seattle Jan. 22 . . . Scored 10 pts in 11 minutes vs. Detroit Jan. 14 . . . Had a career-high 3 blocked shots vs San Antonio Dec. 29 . . . Became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA regular season game on Dec. 5 at Denver, entering the contest at 7:24 of the 2nd 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 played his first game . . . Spent season s first 17 games on the injured list . . . Scored the first points as a pro on his 18th birthday Oct. 13 in a pre-season game vs. Sacramento . . . Portland's 1st round pick (17th overall) in the 1996 NBA Draft out of Eau Claire H.S. in Columbia, S.C. . . . vs. DALLAS THIS SEASON: Averaged 1.3 pts, 1.7 rbs, 0.7 assists, 9.3 minutes in three games. ISAIAH RIDER --- Monday at Nuggets: Team-high 28 pts (12-17 fgs, 2-2 3pt, 2-2 fts), 2 rbs, 2 assists, 34 minutes . . . Saturday vs. Suns: 12 pts, 2 rbs, 1 assist, 1 steal, 27 minutes before fouling out with 3:48 remaining in the game, his second DQ of the season . . . Friday vs. Bucks: Game-high 27 pts, 4 rbs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 37 minutes . . . Has averaged 18.3 pts and shot 55% from the field, 44% from long range and 85% from the line during Portland's 16-4 run . . . Is Blazers free throw percentage leader (80.9%) and has made 18 in a row and 32 of his last 33 . . . Registered personal and team season-high 40 pts (13-19 fgs, 2-2 3pt, 12-13 fts), in 43 minutes vs. Boston Feb. 16---two points off his career high. Only the second Blazer to top the 40-point mark in two seasons . . . Made 15 of 18 free throws, both career highs, while scoring 30 points in Jan. 16 win at the Lakers (the free throws and FTAs were the most ever by a Blazer vs. the Lakers) . . . Grabbed a season-high 11 rbs vs. Seattle Dec. 18 . . . Dished out a career-high 11 assists Nov. 26 at Houston . . . Ranks 39th in the league in scoring (16.3 ppg) and 27th in three-point 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 1st round draft choice (5th overall) from UNLV . . . Averaged 18.8 pts in 229 games for the Wolves in three seasons . . . 1993-94 NBA All-Rookie first team . . . Winner of the Gatorade Slam-Dunk contest at the 1994 NBA All-Star Weekend . . . vs. DALLAS THIS SEASON: Averaged 15.7 pts, 4.0 rbs, 2.0 assists, 0;.7 steals, 30.0 minutes, in three starts. CLIFFORD ROBINSON --- Monday at Nuggets: 23 pts (9-17 fgs, 3-5 3pt, 2-2 fts), 7 rbs, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 37 minutes . . . Saturday vs. Suns: 19 pts, 5 rbs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 44 minutes . . . Friday vs. Bucks: 8 pts, 4 rbs, team-high 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 38 minutes . . . Made all six of his treys in second quarter splurge in March 28 win over Vancouver, a Blazers all-time record for a quarter and a half, and equal to the NBA's second best effort ever in a quarter (he finished with 26 pts) . . . Held scoreless at Washington Mar. 22 for the first time in 549 games, going back to April 11, 1990 of his rookie season . . . Registerred a season and team-high 10 rbs, a team-high 6 assists, plus 15 pts and 4 steals in 41 minutes Feb. 2 vs. Minnesota . . . Second on the team in assists with a 3.2 average---Has led the club in assists 13 times, compared with 11 times 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 seaosn-high 51 minutes (just two shy of his career high) vs. Indiana Nov. 3 . . . Ranks 26th in the NBA in minutes played (38.1) . . . Leading scorer the past two seasons and averaged 21.1 pts in 1995-96, the league's 16th highest . . . Is in the top six in 15 of 17 Portland career categories, including fourth in scoring (10,344 pts), fourth in games played (639), second in three-pointers made (487), and second in blocked shots (723) . . . vs. DALLAS THIS SEASON: Averaged team-high 18.3 pts, 4.0 rbs, 2.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.3 blocks, 35.7 minutes in three starts. RUMEAL ROBINSON --- Monday at Nuggets: 5 pts (1-3 fgs, 1-1 3pt, 2-2 fts), 4 rbs, 4 assists, 15 minutes . . . Saturday vs. Suns: 4 pts, 2 assists, 1 rb, 9 minutes . . . Friday vs. Bucks: 3 pts, 3 assists, 1 rb, 2 steals, 13 minutes . . . Had season highs of 22 minutes and 3 steals and equalled season highs with 5 assists and 4 rbs Mar. 28 vs. Vancouver . . . Signed for the remainder of the season March 6 . . . at Chicago Feb. 24: scored 2 pts in 14 minutes in his first game gack with the Blazers after signing to a 10-day contract the same day . . . Began the season with the Lakers and played in 15 games, including three starts . . . Scored a season-high 10 pts vs. San Antonio Nov. 19 . . . Traded, along with Cedric Ceballos, to Phoenix for Robert Horry and Joe Kleine on Jan. 10 . . . Played 11 games for Suns before being waived Feb. 15 . . . Played in 43 games with Blazers 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 . . . vs. DALLAS THIS SEASON: 3 pts, 2 rbs, 2 steals, 19 minutes of Game 3. ARVYDAS SABONIS --- Monday at Nuggets: DND (contusion, left quadricep), day-to-day on availability . . . Saturday vs. Suns: 5 pts, 8 rbs, 3 assists, 2 steals, 19 minutes before having to leave game at the 4:43 mark of the 3rd quarter with a bruised quadricep . . . Friday vs. Bucks: 16 pts, 8 rbs, 2 assists, 1 block, 21 minutes . . . Has team-best 13 double-doubles . . . Feb. 19 at Orlando: 8 pts, 5 rbs in 21 minutes in his first action since Jan. 22 . . . Placed on injured list Jan. 24 after sustaining a deeply bruised calf in a 4th quarter collision in Jan. 22 game at Seattle . . . Tallied 22 pts in a career high-equalling 41 minutes Jan. 19 at Utah . . . Has led Blazers in scoring on nine occasions, in rebounding 28 times and assists four times . . . Scored career-high 33 pts and had a career-high equalling 11 field goals and a career-high 14 fts Jan. 4 at Dallas . . . Played a career-high 41 minutes Dec. 12 at the Lakers . . . Grabbed a career-high 17 rbs at Minnesota Nov. 7 . . . Team's leading rebounder (7.8 rpg) and second in blocked shots (1.22) . . . On the NBA 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. DALLAS THIS SEASON: Team-best 18.3 pts, 9.0 rbs, 0.3 steals, 1.3 blocks, 25.7 minutes in three starts, shot 67% from the floor (20-30). GARY TRENT --- Monday at Nuggets: 8 pts (3-8 fgs, 2-3 fts), 4 rbs, 1 block, 29 minutes in his 28th start of the season . . . Saturday vs. Suns: 12 pts, 4 rbs, 2 assists, 21 minutes . . . Friday vs. Bucks: 8 pts, game-high 10 rbs, 3 assists, 1 block, 22 minutes---seventh double-digit rebounding game and 11th time he's led team on boards . . . Equaled career high with 7 assists March. 28 vs. Vancouver . . . For fourth time in seven games matched career high with 24 points at Minnesota Feb. 2 . . . Jan. 24 at Phoenix: Matched career high with game-high 24 pts and tied career best with 13 rbs (10 fgs also career high) . . . Scored career-high 24 pts in 32 minutes at Seattle Jan. 22 . . . Played a career-high 44 minutes Jan. 2 at Houston . . . Claimed game and career-high 13 rbs Nov. 26 at Denver . . . Firing at a 53.7% clip from the field (337-638), the NBA's eighth best mark . . . 1st round draft pick (11th overall) by Milwaukee in 1995 . . . Portland acquired his draft rights in an exchange involving Shawn Respert's draft rights . . . vs. DALLAS THIS SEASON: Averaged 14.3 pts, 4.7 rbs, 1.7 assists, 0.7 blocks, 27.3 minutes in three games, including one start, and shot 63% from field (19-30). RASHEED WALLACE --- Monday at Nuggets: 17 pts (8-18 fgs, 0-1 3pt, 1-3 fts), 7 rbs, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 32 minutes off the bench . . . Saturday vs. Suns: 10 pts, 10 rbs, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 34 minutes---his seventh double-double of the season . . . Friday vs. Bucks: 8 pts, 4 rbs, 1 steal, 17 minutes before being ejected (for the first time this season) after his second technical foul at 7:54 of the third period . . . Has 15 20-plus scoring games . . . Played career-high 45 minutes in Feb. 26 OT loss to New York . . . Tied career high with 14 rbs and set new career high with 15 free throw attempts Feb. 15 vs. Houston . . . Activated Feb. 4 vs. Chicago after missing 19 games on injured list . . . Placed there Dec. 27 after undergoing surgery on left thumb fractured in Dec. 23 game vs. Washington . . . Tallied a career-high 38 pts on career-high 17-of-25 fgs in 40 minutes at Sacramento Dec. 21 . . . Previous high of 32 pts (15-20 fgs) came on Nov. 5 at Golden State, the first 30-plus game of his career . . . Converted a career-high 11 free throws (15 attempts) Dec. 13 at the Lakers . . . Grabbed season-high 13 rbs vs. Vancouver Dec. 12 . . . Nov. 4 among NBA's top field goal percentage shooters (55.4% on 351-634) . . . 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 as a rookie with the Bullets last season and averaged 10.1 ppg . . . Selected in the 1st round (4th pick overall) by Washington in the 1995 NBA Draft . . . Second team sophomore All-American at North Carolina before becoming an early entry draft candidate . . . vs. DALLAS THIS SEASON: Averaged 8.5 pts, 5.0 rbs, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, 24.0 minutes, in two starts and shot 88% from the floor (8-10). Missed Game 2 on the injured list. DONTONIO WINGFIELD --- Monday at Nuggets: 4 pts (2-4 fgs, 0-1 3pt), 3 rbs, 9 minutes . . . Saturday vs. Suns: DNP (coach's decision) . . . Friday vs. Bucks: 0 pts, 1 rb, 1 assist, 5 minutes . . . Grabbed career-high 12 rbs and scored 14 pts at Boston Jan. 31 . . . Scored season-high 16 pts at Phoenix Jan. 24 . . . Played season-high 27 minutes vs. Lakers Jan. 6 . . . Placed on injured list Dec. 13 (sprained left thumb suffered in Dec. 12 game with Vancouver) . . . Averaged 3.8 pts and 2.4 rbs in 44 games with Portland last season . . . Signed as a free agent in 1995 after playing in 1994-95 with Seattle . . . 2nd 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. DALLAS THIS SEASON: 5 pts, 1 rb, 7 minutes of Game 3. Injured list for Game 1, DNP (coach's decision) for Game 2. John Christensen Chuck Charnquist ************************************************************ Send subscribe/unsubscribe messages to majordomo@ripcity.com ************************************************************