Belt game 3,077 · May 7, 1981 · playoffs
Houston Rockets take the belt
Houston Rockets beat Boston Celtics 92–90 on the road to start reign 1,383 of the NBA belt, the 29th for the franchise.
Boston Celtics had held it since April 29, 1981, with 3 defenses over 8 days.
Houston Rockets held it for 2 days and 0 defenses, then lost it to Boston Celtics on May 9, 1981.
1,383Reign number
29Team's reign
0Defenses
2Days held
Box score
Houston Rockets
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moses Malone | 48 | 31 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10-24 | 0-0 | 11-18 |
| Bill Willoughby | 25 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6-10 | 0-0 | 2-3 |
| Billy Paultz | 31 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6-11 | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| Calvin Murphy | 23 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4-13 | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| Mike Dunleavy | 17 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3-5 | 2-2 | 1-2 |
| Tom Henderson | 34 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2-8 | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| Allen Leavell | 13 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| Calvin Garrett | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Robert Reid | 38 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0-7 | 0-0 | 2-2 |
Boston Celtics
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Bird | 45 | 19 | 21 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 8-18 | 0-1 | 3-3 |
| Kevin McHale | 26 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6-8 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Nate Archibald | 30 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4-12 | 0-0 | 3-3 |
| Chris Ford | 28 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5-10 | 0-2 | 0-0 |
| Gerald Henderson | 18 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5-8 | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| Robert Parish | 14 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| Rick Robey | 21 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 1-4 |
| Cedric Maxwell | 37 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| M.L. Carr | 21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Player box scores: Historical NBA Data and Player Box Scores by Eoin Moore (CC0).