Listing Moses Malone’s best Rockets’ 20/20 Sunday games

1. March 15th, 1981 vs Denver Nuggets

During the 1980-81 season, the Houston Rockets had an up-and-down season. The Rockets went 40-42, which surprisingly landed them the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoff race, which is hard to imagine, especially considering the Western Conference as we know it.

The Rockets actually went to the NBA Finals that season but were eliminated by the Boston Celtics within six games. During that season, Malone averaged a league-leading 14.8 rebounds per game, which was at the point his second time leading the NBA in rebounds. On top of that, Malone finished with 27.8 points per game that season, which was second-best in the league.

Moses Malone had four games in which he had at least 20 points and 20 rebounds, which includes his performance March 15th against the Denver Nuggets, which happened to fall on a Sunday. Malone had an astronomical 23 rebounds, which was more than twice the amount of the second-leading rebounder. This included a gaudy 13 offensive rebounds, which made up more than half of his boards.

Malone also had 31 points, which was a game-high, although he went 13-of-30. Although The Chairman of the Boards put on a historical performance, it ultimately wasn’t enough to lead the Rockets to victory, as they lost 138-127. Malone played a total of 41 minutes and also registered three blocked shots, which were both team-highs.