PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS GAME NO. 82---SUNDAY, APRIL 20, 1997 Record: Overall---48-33, Home---28-12, Road---20-21 SEASON FINALE --- Portland, 48-33, and winner of three in a row and 19 of its last 23, closes out its best season since 1992-93 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Rose Garden Sunday afternoon, an NBA on NBC televised contest. The Blazers, already assured of their best record in four years, can equal the club's seventh best finish ever by winning Sunday. Portland's 1976-77 Championship team had a regular season record of 49-33 as did the Blazers 1986-87 edition. Portland, which has outscored its last two opponents by a combined total of 76 points and now ranks eighth in the league in point differential (+4.2), finished its road slate at 20-21 with a 105-73 victory at Vancouver on Thursday. That's the best road mark in four seasons for Portland. The Blazers are now 35-16 in Western Conference play, the West's fifth best mark, and a win away from equalling their best conference record since 1992-93. In a week, the Blazers, in the fifth slot in the West, will be making their league-best 15th consecutive playoff appearance. Portland goes into the playoffs with its 18th winning season in the last 21 years and its eighth in a row. PROBABLE STARTERS --- F--No. 3 Clifford Robinson (6-10), F--No. 30 Rasheed Wallace (6-10), C--No. 11 Arvydas Sabonis (7-3, G--No. 34 Isaiah Rider (6-5), G--No. 7 Kenny Anderson (6-1). 15 STRAIGHT --- The Blazers have clinched 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 four regular season games remaining, occupies the West's fifth spot. THIRD LONGEST STREAK --- Portland's upcoming 15th consecutive playoff appearance is not only the longest current streak in the NBA but also represents the third longest in all of professional sports. Only the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League have made more current consecutive post season appearances than the Blazers (28 and 18 respectively). The Utah Jazz are the closest any NBA club can come with their 14th straight this spring. The all-time NBA record is 22 in a row by the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1950 to 1971. ANOTHER WINNING YEAR --- The Blazers, with 48 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 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. 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. THE BLAZERS-LAKERS SERIES --- The all-time series between the Blazers and Lakers stands 85-60 in favor of Los Angeles. But Portland has won two in a row and since 1989-90 is 24-13 in matchups with the L.A. club. The Blazers, 2-1 this season in games that were decided by a total difference of nine points, have won six of the last nine meetings. The biggest margin the last six games has been six points. The Blazers won the last meeting in Portland, 88-84, and have taken four of the last five here. Portland won on its last visit to the Great Western Forum, 102-98, and has found success on six of its last eight trips south. The Lakers last win in the series was at home in overtime, 120-119, on Dec. 13. SO FAR THIS SEASON --- All three matchups have been down-to-the-wire affairs. The first meeting in December was a 120-119 heartbreaker won by the Lakers in overtime in the Forum. Shaquille O Neal had a big block of Kenny Anderson's potential game-winner with two seconds remaining in that one. A month later, the Blazers played without starting forwards Rasheed Wallace and Clifford Robinson but still pulled out an 88-84 victory behind Arvydas Sabonis's 24 points and a big game by Anderson, who tallied all six of his team's points in the final 2:38, including a three-pointer that broke an 84-84 tie with 51.4 seconds remaining. In the 102-98 win in the Forum on Jan. 16, Portland jumped to 60-44 halftime lead then had to hold off their hosts down the stretch for the victory. Isaiah Rider led the Blazers victory with 30 points. Both teams shot 47% in the three games, while Portland had a slim four rebounds per game advantage. Six Blazers, led by Wallace's 29 points (in one game) and Anderson's 21.7 ppg in three, have averaged in double figures against the Lakers. THE LAST TWO GAMES SWEEPING THE GRIZZLIES --- The Trail Blazers used their depth to storm past the Grizzlies in Vancouver Thursday, 105-73, completing a back-to-back sweep in which they outscored their two opponents by a combined 76 points. (They defeated Denver, 107-63 the night before.) Rasheed Wallace led all scorers in the game with 25 points, hitting 10 of 15 field goal attempts. Rumeal Robinson had his best game for Portland this season with 14 points and a game-high seven assists off the bench. The Blazers connected on 54.2% of their field goal attempts (39-72) while limiting Vancouver to 32.8% (22-67). In the past two games, Blazers opponents have a combined 43 field goals. Chris Dudley and Arvydas Sabonis each grabbed nine rebounds as Portland controlled the glass, 44-34. The victory, the sixth in a row over the Grizzlies, gave Portland a 4-0 sweep of the season's series. A RECORD DEFENSIVE EFFORT --- Portland put a record defensive blanket on Denver last night in the Rose Garden, holding the Nuggets to an all-time opponent low point total in a 107-63 rout. The 63 points lowered the record of 65 set earlier this season against the same Denver team. The Nuggets were held to just 8 first quarter points and only 22 by halftime. Both were all-time Blazers opponent marks and the 22 equaled the third lowest for a half in NBA history. The 44 point margin, Portland's biggest of the season, equalled the seventh widest in club history. Seven Blazers, led by Gary Trent's game-high 20 points, put double-figure numbers on the scoreboard, the first time that has happened this season. Arvydas Sabonis and Chris Dudley each had 12 rebounds and Rasheed Wallace and Trent 10 apiece as Portland combed the boards for a season high 64 rebounds to 36 for the Nuggets. Kenny Anderson turned in another strong all-around game with 10 points, 12 assists, 5 steals and no turnovers in 27 minutes. The Blazers were 45.7% from the field (43-94) while holding the Nuggets to 28.4% (21-74). The win gave Portland its second straight series sweep of the Nuggets and the third since 1990-91. THE DEFENSE --- Portland has the NBA's fifth toughest defense to shoot against, holding foes to .435 field goal accuracy in 81 games, which is below the club's all-time defensive mark of .442 . . . Its defensive average of 94.8 ppg is the 11th best in the league and is 2.2 ppg below the team's record for a season . . . The Blazers have kept opponents below the 40 percent field goal mark in each of the last two games and 21 times this season and below 45 percent 46 times . . . In winning 48 games, the Blazers have held 36 opponents under 100 points and overall have kept 54 under the century mark, an all-time club record. The previous sub-100 record for opponents was 47 last season. THE OFFENSE --- Portland has the 11th most productive offense in the league, averaging 98.9 points a contest . . . The Blazers have a .463 field goal percentage after 81 games, the NBA's 11th best mark . . . In winning 48 games, the Blazers margin of victory is 13.4 ppg, with the cushion being 10 points or more in 27 contests, 20 or more 11 times and 30 or more four times . . . Portland's overall point differential of +4.2 is the league's eighth best mark . . . Of the Blazers 33 losses, 18 have been by six points or less, nine have been by three or under and six have been one pointers . . . Portland is 27-11 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 REBOUNDING --- The Blazers rank third 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 (.724), and are fifth in offensive rebounding percentage (.325) . . . The Blazers have an overall advantage of 4.8 rebounds per game and a 3.6 per game margin on the defensive glass . . . Portland has outrebounded 58 of 81 opponents and 14 times has claimed 50 or more misses in a game, including a season-high 64 Wednesday versus Denver . . . 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. LONG, LONG RANGE --- Question: Name a 7-foot-3, 290-pound NBA center who ranks among his team's top 10 career three-point shooters. Answer: The Blazers Arvydas Sabonis, who's trey against Vancouver Thursday upped his two-year career total with Portland to 87 and moved him into a three-way tie with Jim Paxson and Tracey Murray for ninth place on the team's all-time list. ATTENDANCE IN TOP THREE --- Portland had its seventh sellout of the season for Phoenix on April 5 and has averaged 21,281 fans in its last 14 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 831,261with an average of 20,782. BALANCE --- Portland is 11th 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 17.5 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 (7.9 rpg), Chris Dudley (7.4 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 among the NBA's rebounding elite is balance. No fewer than 10 different Blazers have grabbed game rebounding honors this season. AMONG THE NBA LEADERS ---Rasheed Wallace, 3rd in field goal percentage, .560 (376-672) ---Gary Trent, 10th in field goal percentage, .536 (357-666) ---Arvydas Sabonis, 28th in field goal percentage, .498 (323-649) ---Kenny Anderson, 9th in steals (1.98), 15th in assists (7.2), 30th in scoring (17.5), 33rd in minutes (37.5) ---Isaiah Rider, 40th in free throw percentage, .812 (207-255), 31st in three-point percentage (98-256) ---Chris Dudley, 24th in blocked shots (1.20), 35th in rebounding (7.4) ---Clifford Robinson, 26th in minutes played (37.9) 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 third leading scorer and rebounder, is averaging 15.2 points and 6.8 rebounds a game, and shooting 56% from the field, the NBA's third best mark. That is up from 48.7% in 65 games with the Bullets last season. Rasheed has bettered his career high points scored in a game eight times, including an all-time best 38 at Sacramento Dec. 21. SIMILARITIES --- There are similarities between the 1997 Blazers playoff-bound edition and the team of 20 years ago that won it all, giving Portland its first major sports championship and launching Blazermania. The 1976-77 season started with only four Blazers on the roster from the previous season, exactly the same number that were on hand to begin 1996-97. The 1976-77 team finished the regular season at 49-33; with one game remaining the current Blazers are 48-33. In 1977, two Trail Blazers---Bobby Gross and Bill Walton---finished sixth and seventh among the NBA's field goal percentage leaders; the current team also has two in the top 10---Rasheed Wallace (3rd) and Gary Trent (10th). This is the first time since 1976-77 two Blazers have been among the top 10 shooters in the league. The 1997 edition heads into the playoffs as the league's second youngest team (averaging 25.85 years on April 1); Portland and Philadelphia, the club the Blazers beat in six games to win the championship, shared that same honor in 1977 with each averaging 24.58 years per player. The 1977 team was 44-21 with Bill Walton in the lineup and 5-12 when he was sidelined with injuries; this year's team is 43-26 with center Arvydas Sabonis playing and 6-7 when he has been out. KENNY & KIDS MAKING MIRACLES --- Blazers guard Kenny Anderson, is honorary campaign chairman for Kids Making Miracles, a volunteer organization of hundreds of grade and high school students in the area committed to raising $1 million to build a state-of-the-art health care facility at Portland's Doernbecher Children's Hospital. In that role, Kenny has pledged $20 for every assist he dishes out this season. To date, his 580 assists, 15th highest in the league, have netted $11,600 for the drive which now has passed the $600,000 mark. The Trail Blazers have made a three-year commitment to help build public awareness of the Kids Make Miracles campaign as part of the NBA's TeamUP program to encourage youth-sponsored programs working to improve communities through volunteer involvement. P.J. MOVES UP TO THIRD --- P.J. Carlesimo, whose team has won 19 of its last 24 games, is now the Blazers third winningest coach with a 136-109 record (55.5%). 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. THE BLAZERS KENNY ANDERSON --- Thursday at Vancouver: 7 pts (2-6 fgs, 2-4 3pt, 1-2 fts), 5 assists, 2 rbs, 23 minutes . . . Wednesday vs. Denver: 10 pts, 10 assists, 1 rb, 5 steals and 0 turnovers in 27 minutes--- his 13th double-double of the season . . . Thursday at San Antonio: 15 pts, game-high 11 assists, 2 rbs, 6 steals (tieing his career high), 38 minutes . . . Has turned in 30 plus-20 scoring games . . . 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 54 times . . . Team's leading scorer with 17.5 ppg, the assists leader (7.2), and tops in steals (1.98) . . . 30th in the NBA in scoring, 15th in assists, ninth in steals, 33rd in minutes played (37.5) . . . One of 25 players in the league averaging at least 4 assists and 4 rebounds a game (7.2 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. LAKERS THIS SEASON: Averaged 21.7 pts, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rbs, 1.7 steals, 42.7 minutes in three starts. STACEY AUGMON --- Thursday at Vancouver: 5 pts (2-6 fgs, 1-2 fts), 5 rbs, 4 assists, 24 minutes in 10th start for Blazers . . . Wednesday vs. Denver: 10 pts, 3 rbs, 1 assist, 1 steal, 21 minutes . . . Thursday at San Antonio: 2 pts, 3 rbs, 1 steal, 14 minutes . . . April 8 at Dallas: 4 pts, 1 rb, 13 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 . . . 1992 All-NBA Rookie first team selection . . . Had a career-high 36 pts versus Portland on Jan. 3, 1995. 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. LAKERS THIS SEASON: DNP in any of the three games. MITCHELL BUTLER --- Thursday at Vancouver: 2 pts (1-1 fgs), 1 assist, 1 steal, 4 minutes . . . Wednesday vs. Denver: 11 pts, 4 rbs, 1 assist, 1 steal, 27 minutes in his first start as a Trail Blazer . . . Thursday at San Antonio: 0 pts, 1 assist, 1 steal, 13 minutes . . . 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. LAKERS THIS SEASON: Averaged 2.0 pts, 0.5 rbs, 5.5 minutes in two games. DNP in Game 3 (coach's decision). CHRIS DUDLEY --- Thursday at Vancouver: 11 pts (3-5 fgs, season-high 5-8 fts), 9 rbs, 1 steal, 1 block, 26 minutes . . . Wednesday vs. Denver: 5 pts, 12 rbs, 1 assist, 22 minutes . . . Thursday at San Antonio: 6 pts, 8 rbs, 1 block, 17 minutes . . . Has missed only three of Portland's last 249 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 (7.4 rpg) and blocked shots (1.20) despite starting just 13 games . . . Ranks 24th in the league in blocks and 35th 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. LAKERS THIS SEASON: Averaged 4.0 pts, 7.7 rbs, 1.0 blocks, 24.7 minutes. JERMAINE O NEAL --- Not with team (abdominal disorder) last two games . . . Thursday at San Antonio: DNP (coach's decision) . . . 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 20 days younger than Kobe Bryant when he played his first game with the Lakers . . . Scored his first regular season points on a field goal at Denver Dec. 5 . . . 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. LAKERS THIS SEASON: Averaged 1.3 pts, 2.3 rbs, 0.7 assists, 0.3 blocks, 4.7 minutes. ISAIAH RIDER --- Thursday at Vancouver: 6 pts (3-5 fgs), 3 rbs, 2 assists, 24 minutes off the bench . . . Wednesday vs. Denver: DNP (coach's decision) . . . Thursday at San Antonio: 12 pts, 3 assists, 24 minutes . . . Shooting 55% from the field, 44% from long range and 86% from the line in his last 23 games . . . Is Blazers free throw percentage leader (81.2%) and has made 22 in a row and 36 of his last 37 . . . 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 . . . 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. LAKERS THIS SEASON: Averaged 19.3 pts, 5.3 rbs, 4.3 assists, 40.3 minutes in three starts. CLIFFORD ROBINSON --- Thursday at Vancouver: 7 pts (2-7 fgs, 0-2 3pt, 3-5 fts), 1 rb, 3 assists, 1 block, career-high equalling 6 steals, 34 minutes. . . Wednesday vs. Denver: 10 pts, 4 rbs, 1 assist, 1 steal, 30 minutes . . . Thursday at San Antonio: 11 pts, 4 rbs, 4 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 36 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 season-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 third in scoring (10,387 pts), fourth in games played (643), second in three-pointers made (491), and second in blocked shots (726) . . . vs. LAKERS THIS SEASON: Averaged 12.0 pts, 2.7 rbs, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, 30.7 minutes in three starts. RUMEAL ROBINSON --- Thursday at Vancouver: Season-high 14 pts (6-9 fgs, 1-3 3pt, 1-1 fts), season-high 7 assists, 2 rbs, 1 steal, 22 minutes---his best game of the season for Blazers . . . Wednesday vs. Denver: 6 pts, 3 assists, 3 steals, 21 minutes . . . Thursday at San Antonio: 2 pts, 4 assists, 10 minutes . . . Had season highs of 22 minutes and 3 steals plus 5 assists, 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. ARVYDAS SABONIS --- Thursday at Vancouver: 15 pts (6-9 fgs, 1-1 3pt, 2-2 fts), 9 rbs, 1 steal, 22 minutes . . . Wednesday vs. Denver: 10 pts, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 26 minutes . . . Thursday at San Antonio: 18 pts, team-high 12 rbs, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 31 minutes---team-best 15th double-double . . . April 5 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 . . . 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 30 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 leader in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and blocked shots (1.21) and third in steals (0.91) . . . 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. LAKERS THIS SEASON: Averaged 16.0 pts, 6.0 rbs, 3.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.7 blocks, 34.0 minutes in three starts. GARY TRENT --- Thursday at Vancouver: 13 pts (4-7 fgs, 5-7 fts), 8 rbs, 1 steal, 1 block, 21 minutes . . . Wednesday vs. Denver: Game-high 20 pts, 11 rbs, 1 assist, 1 steal, 29 minutes---5th double-double . . . Thursday at San Antonio: 10 pts, 7 rbs, 1 steal, 1 block, 22 minutes . . . 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 53.6% clip from the field (357-666), the NBA's tenth 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. LAKERS THIS SEASON: Averaged 11.0 pts, 3.7 rbs, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.3 blocks, 26.3 minutes in three games, including two starts. RASHEED WALLACE --- Thursday at Vancouver: Game-high 25 pts (10-15 fgs, 0-1 3pt, 4-7 fts) 5 rbs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 36 minutes---his 16th 20-plus scoring game . . . Wednesday vs. Denver: 6 pts, 10 rbs, 1 assist, 2 steals, 19 minutes . . . Thursday at San Antonio: Game-high 19 pts, 5 rbs, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 32 minutes . . . Has seven double-doubles . . . 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 . . . Moved up to No. 3 among NBA's top field goal percentage shooters (56.0 % on 376-672) . . . 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. LAKERS THIS SEASON: 29 pts (9-10 fgs, 11-15 fts), 9 rbs, 1 block, 36 minutes in Game 1. Missed next two games on injured list. DONTONIO WINGFIELD --- Thursday at Vancouver: 0 pts (0-2 3pt), 4 minutes. . . Wednesday vs. Denver: 13 pts, 7 rbs, 1 block, 18 minutes . . . Thursday at San Antonio: 3 pts, 1 assist, 3 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. LAKERS THIS SEASON: Averaged 9.0 pts, 6.0 rbs, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals, 20.0 minutes in two games. Missed Game 1 (injured list). John Christensen Chuck Charnquist ************************************************************ Send subscribe/unsubscribe messages to majordomo@ripcity.com ************************************************************