The 1968-69 Denver Rockets season marked their second in the American Basketball Association (ABA). Under the guidance of head coach Bob Bass, the Rockets finished with a 44-34 record, placing them second in the Western Division. This impressive performance secured them a spot in the playoffs, demonstrating their capability as a formidable team in the league.
In the postseason, the Rockets faced the New Orleans Buccaneers in the Western Division Semifinals. Despite a strong regular season, Denver struggled in the playoffs, ultimately losing the series 4-3. Key players for the Rockets included Larry Jones, who was instrumental in their offensive efforts, and Byron Beck, whose rebounding prowess provided a solid foundation for the team. Overall, the 1968-69 season was a step forward for the Rockets, establishing them as competitive contenders in the ABA landscape.
- Regular Season Record: 44-34
- Playoff Result: Division Semifinals: 3-4
Denver Rockets Roster and Stats for 1968-69 Season
POINTS
Larry Jones
28.4
REBOUNDS
Byron Beck
11.0
ASSISTS
Wayne Hightower
1.2
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Larry Jones | 75 | 28.4 | 6.6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 96.0 | 7 | 22.0 | 7.3 | 4.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37.5 |
| Lonnie Wright | 69 | 16.4 | 4.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 38.8 | 7 | 12.0 | 5.3 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 25.0 |
| Byron Beck | 71 | 14.5 | 11.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 200.0 | 7 | 15.7 | 9.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Wayne Hightower | 67 | 13.9 | 9.6 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 12.0 | 6.7 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Billy McGill | 78 | 12.8 | 5.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 6.7 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Walt Piatkowski | 77 | 12.2 | 4.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 89.7 | 7 | 15.3 | 4.1 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11.1 |
| Bob Verga | 6 | 11.2 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Julian Hammond | 78 | 10.6 | 7.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 13.0 | 7.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Levern Tart | 20 | 7.7 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Jeff Congdon | 59 | 4.9 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 27.3 | 7 | 8.9 | 2.3 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Ken Wilburn | 37 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Larry Bunce | 23 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Grant Simmons | 17 | 3.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| John Fairchild | 11 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Willie Rogers | 40 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Charley Parks | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Denver Rockets in the 1969 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs Second Round vs. Oakland Oaks
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 05, 1969 | @ Oakland Oaks | L 129-99 | |
| Apr 06, 1969 | @ Oakland Oaks | W 122-119 | |
| Apr 08, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | W 121-99 | |
| Apr 10, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 109-108 | |
| Apr 12, 1969 | @ Oakland Oaks | L 128-118 | |
| Apr 13, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 126-115 | |
| Apr 16, 1969 | @ Oakland Oaks | L 115-102 |
Denver Rockets 1968-69 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1968-69 season for the Denver Rockets.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 29, 1968 | @ New York Nets | L 108-89 | |
| Oct 30, 1968 | @ Kentucky Colonels | L 123-100 | |
| Oct 31, 1968 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 122-100 | |
| Nov 02, 1968 | @ Oakland Oaks | L 120-106 | |
| Nov 06, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | L 109-107 | |
| Nov 07, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | L 98-95 | |
| Nov 12, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | L 134-127 | |
| Nov 14, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | L 105-89 | |
| Nov 16, 1968 | @ Dallas Chaparrals | L 110-95 | |
| Nov 19, 1968 | @ Minnesota Pipers | W 126-121 | |
| Nov 20, 1968 | @ Kentucky Colonels | L 109-101 | |
| Nov 21, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | W 125-114 | |
| Nov 26, 1968 | @ Dallas Chaparrals | W 115-109 | |
| Nov 27, 1968 | @ Houston Mavericks | W 126-107 | |
| Nov 29, 1968 | @ New Orleans Buccaneers | L 131-128 | |
| Nov 30, 1968 | @ Miami Floridians | W 129-122 | |
| Dec 01, 1968 | @ Houston Mavericks | L 108-106 | |
| Dec 03, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | L 127-108 | |
| Dec 05, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | L 119-118 | |
| Dec 08, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | L 121-113 | |
| Dec 10, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | W 107-101 | |
| Dec 13, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | L 127-108 | |
| Dec 15, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | L 113-110 | |
| Dec 18, 1968 | @ Houston Mavericks | W 111-102 | |
| Dec 19, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | L 116-95 | |
| Dec 21, 1968 | @ Los Angeles Stars | L 124-119 | |
| Dec 22, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | L 122-96 | |
| Dec 25, 1968 | @ New York Nets | W 129-110 | |
| Dec 28, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | L 127-112 | |
| Dec 29, 1968 | @ Denver Rockets | L 102-92 | |
| Jan 02, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 120-102 | |
| Jan 04, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 115-90 | |
| Jan 05, 1969 | @ Minnesota Pipers | L 120-111 | |
| Jan 08, 1969 | @ Los Angeles Stars | L 117-112 | |
| Jan 09, 1969 | @ Oakland Oaks | L 136-115 | |
| Jan 11, 1969 | @ Oakland Oaks | L 108-105 | |
| Jan 12, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 124-117 | |
| Jan 15, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 112-107 | |
| Jan 16, 1969 | @ New Orleans Buccaneers | L 136-106 | |
| Jan 17, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 120-102 | |
| Jan 19, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 111-88 | |
| Jan 22, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 124-103 | |
| Jan 24, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | W 128-120 | |
| Jan 25, 1969 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 131-122 | |
| Jan 26, 1969 | @ Miami Floridians | L 108-97 | |
| Jan 29, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 131-128 | |
| Jan 30, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 128-103 | |
| Feb 01, 1969 | @ Oakland Oaks | L 124-114 | |
| Feb 02, 1969 | @ Oakland Oaks | W 119-105 | |
| Feb 04, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | W 112-99 | |
| Feb 05, 1969 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 125-109 | |
| Feb 07, 1969 | @ Minnesota Pipers | W 110-106 | |
| Feb 08, 1969 | @ New York Nets | W 119-115 | |
| Feb 11, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 108-98 | |
| Feb 14, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 112-103 | |
| Feb 16, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 105-94 | |
| Feb 18, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | W 118-116 | |
| Feb 23, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | W 109-106 | |
| Feb 25, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | W 121-106 | |
| Feb 26, 1969 | @ Houston Mavericks | L 136-122 | |
| Feb 27, 1969 | @ Los Angeles Stars | W 115-101 | |
| Mar 02, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 147-120 | |
| Mar 04, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 126-120 | |
| Mar 06, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 123-114 | |
| Mar 08, 1969 | @ Dallas Chaparrals | L 121-111 | |
| Mar 09, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 118-103 | |
| Mar 12, 1969 | @ Los Angeles Stars | L 125-122 | |
| Mar 13, 1969 | @ Los Angeles Stars | L 142-119 | |
| Mar 16, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 131-119 | |
| Mar 18, 1969 | @ Miami Floridians | W 123-119 | |
| Mar 19, 1969 | @ Kentucky Colonels | L 131-106 | |
| Mar 21, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 133-123 | |
| Mar 22, 1969 | @ Dallas Chaparrals | L 127-99 | |
| Mar 24, 1969 | @ Houston Mavericks | L 124-115 | |
| Mar 25, 1969 | @ New Orleans Buccaneers | L 112-100 | |
| Mar 28, 1969 | @ Dallas Chaparrals | L 134-123 | |
| Mar 29, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 121-99 | |
| Apr 01, 1969 | @ Denver Rockets | L 94-90 |