Belt game 2,777 · May 3, 1978 · playoffs
Denver Nuggets take the belt
Denver Nuggets beat Milwaukee Bucks 116–110 at home to start reign 1,245 of the NBA belt, the 10th for the franchise.
Milwaukee Bucks had held it since April 28, 1978, with 1 defense over 5 days.
Denver Nuggets held it for 4 days and 1 defense, then lost it to Oklahoma City Thunder on May 7, 1978.
1,245Reign number
10Team's reign
1Defenses
4Days held
Box score
Milwaukee Bucks
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Winters | 36 | 27 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 10-22 | — | 7-8 |
| Marques Johnson | 41 | 22 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 8-15 | — | 6-11 |
| Quinn Buckner | 39 | 19 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 8-17 | — | 3-6 |
| Alex English | 25 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5-9 | — | 4-4 |
| Dave Meyers | 30 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5-8 | — | 2-2 |
| John Gianelli | 39 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4-8 | — | 0-0 |
| Kent Benson | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-1 | — | 0-0 |
| Ernie Grunfeld | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-1 | — | 0-0 |
| Lloyd Walton | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | — | 2-4 |
| Junior Bridgeman | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-7 | — | 0-0 |
| Jim Eakins | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-2 | — | 0-0 |
Denver Nuggets
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Thompson | 41 | 37 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 16-30 | — | 5-7 |
| Anthony Roberts | 31 | 26 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9-20 | — | 8-10 |
| Dan Issel | 40 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6-18 | — | 2-2 |
| Bobby Jones | 38 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3-9 | — | 4-4 |
| Bob Wilkerson | 31 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2-9 | — | 4-6 |
| Darnell Hillman | 18 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3-6 | — | 2-2 |
| Ralph Simpson | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2-4 | — | 1-2 |
| Bo Ellis | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-2 | — | 0-0 |
| Mack Calvin | 10 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0-2 | — | 2-2 |
| Robert Smith | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-2 | — | 0-0 |
Player box scores: Historical NBA Data and Player Box Scores by Eoin Moore (CC0).