1972–73 Buffalo Braves season
Despite finishing with a worse record than their previous 2 seasons, their 21–61 record was good enough for 3rd place. The Braves showed improvement under new Coach Jack Ramsay. Rookie center Bob McAdoo provided the silver lining by winning the Rookie of the Year Award with 18.0 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game.
During the fifth game of the season versus the Boston Celtics on October 20, 1972, the team set an NBA record which still stands for most points in a single quarter with 58, and still managed to lose 126-118.Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 1 | 2 | Bob McAdoo | Forward | United States | North Carolina |
| 2 | 15 | Harold Fox | Guard | United States | Jacksonville |
| 3 | 32 | Bob Morse | Forward | United States | Penn |
| 4 | 49 | George Bryant | Guard | United States | Eastern Kentucky |
| 5 | 65 | Arnie Berman | Forward | United States | Brown |
| 6 | 82 | Ed Czernota | Center | United States | Sacred Heart |
| 7 | 99 | Greg Kohls | Guard | United States | Syracuse |
| 8 | 115 | Andy Denny | Guard | United States | South Alabama |
| 9 | 131 | John Collins | Center | United States | SUNY Brockport |
| 11 | 158 | Jim Prokell | Guard | United States | Edinboro |
| 12 | 167 | Frank Dewitt | Forward | United States | Virginia |
| 13 | 176 | Kim Huband | Forward | United States | North Carolina |
| 14 | 182 | Greg Corson | Center | United States | North Carolina |
| 15 | 189 | Paul Hoffman | Guard | United States | St. Bonaventure |
| 16 | 194 | Norman Bounds | Forward | United States | SUNY Brockport |
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Player statistics
Note: GP= Games Played; MPG = Minutes per game; FG% = Field goal percentage; FT% = Free throw percentage; RPG = Rebounds per game; APG = Assists per game; PPG = Points per game
| Player | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
| Bob Kauffman | 77 | 39.6 | .505 | .780 | 11.1 | 5.1 | 17.5 |
| Elmore Smith | 76 | 37.2 | .482 | .558 | 12.4 | 3.9 | 18.3 |
| Bob McAdoo | 80 | 32.0 | .452 | .774 | 9.1 | 3.2 | 18.0 |
| Randy Smith | 82 | 31.7 | .443 | .727 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 14.8 |
| Dave Wohl | 56 | 27.5 | .456 | .790 | 1.6 | 4.6 | 8.8 |
| John Hummer | 66 | 23.4 | .444 | .561 | 4.9 | 2.1 | 8.0 |
| Dick Garrett | 78 | 23.1 | .419 | .873 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 10.0 |
| Howard Komives | 67 | 21.9 | .380 | .867 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 6.1 |
| Bill Hewitt | 73 | 18.2 | .418 | .554 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 4.7 |
| Walt Hazzard | 9 | 14.9 | .417 | .500 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 5.9 |
| Fred Hilton | 59 | 12.4 | .387 | .774 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 7.2 |
| Cornell Warner | 4 | 11.8 | .471 | .500 | 3.8 | 1.5 | 4.3 |
| Harold Fox | 10 | 8.4 | .375 | .875 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 3.1 |
Awards and honors
The Braves were involved in the following transactions during the 1972–73 season.Coaching Change
Trades
Free agents
Additions
Subtractions
