In 40 minutes, the No. 2 pick scored eight points with 22 rebounds and three assists as Baltimore beat Detroit 124-116.
Scoring elsewhere
Gus Johnson scored 29, Earl Monroe 28 and Kevin Loughery 23. Dave Bing had 39 for the Pistons.
36 wins to 57
With Unseld in the middle, the Bullets jumped from 36-46 to 57-25 and first place in the East.
Rookie and MVP
He averaged 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds. Only Wilt Chamberlain had also won both awards in one season.
One-franchise career
Unseld played all 13 seasons for the Bullets, won the 1978 title as Finals MVP and entered the Hall of Fame in 1988.
Photo credit
Wes Unseld, Bullets center from 1968 to 1981, photographed in 1974. Photo: Louis Requena / The Sporting News Collection via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
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