Belt game 2,261 · December 26, 1972
Houston Rockets take the belt
Houston Rockets beat Phoenix Suns 113–110 at home to start reign 994 of the NBA belt, the 3rd for the franchise.
Phoenix Suns had held it since December 17, 1972, with 3 defenses over 9 days.
Houston Rockets held it for 3 days and 1 defense, then lost it to Milwaukee Bucks on December 29, 1972.
994Reign number
3Team's reign
1Defenses
3Days held
Box score
Phoenix Suns
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Scott | 41 | 32 | 5 | 7 | — | — | 12-29 | — | 8-10 |
| Neal Walk | 45 | 23 | 13 | 5 | — | — | 10-26 | — | 3-4 |
| Dick Van Arsdale | 36 | 16 | 6 | 3 | — | — | 8-13 | — | 0-0 |
| Connie Hawkins | 40 | 15 | 12 | 6 | — | — | 5-10 | — | 5-5 |
| Clem Haskins | 21 | 12 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 5-9 | — | 2-2 |
| Lamar Green | 30 | 10 | 10 | 0 | — | — | 3-10 | — | 4-5 |
| Dennis Layton | 13 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 1-4 | — | 0-0 |
| Corky Calhoun | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 0-4 | — | 0-0 |
Houston Rockets
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudy Tomjanovich | 41 | 31 | 14 | 1 | — | — | 12-20 | — | 7-9 |
| Mike Newlin | 41 | 24 | 4 | 9 | — | — | 11-23 | — | 2-2 |
| Jimmy Walker | 40 | 22 | 4 | 9 | — | — | 9-18 | — | 4-4 |
| Otto Moore | 39 | 13 | 12 | 3 | — | — | 6-7 | — | 1-5 |
| Jack Marin | 43 | 12 | 9 | 6 | — | — | 6-19 | — | 0-0 |
| Zaid Abdul-Aziz | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2-3 | — | 1-2 |
| Calvin Murphy | 15 | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 2-6 | — | 0-0 |
| Cliff Meely | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 0-3 | — | 2-2 |
Player box scores: Historical NBA Data and Player Box Scores by Eoin Moore (CC0).