NBAs fourth leading scorer, surpassing Elgin Baylor. The day before the game the Braves had reached an agreement on sharing playing dates with the Sabres and decided not to attempt to leave town. On February 1 during the All-star break, the Braves dealt Heard for Shumate. At the time the Braves had a 30–20 record and they would go 16–16 for the rest of the season. During the February 3, 1976 NBA All-Star Game, Smith scored 8 points, while McAdoo had a game-high 22. McAdoo contributed to a key fourth quarter spurt that propelled the East to victory. March–April As the season wound down, the Braves were battling with the Philadelphia 76ers for home court advantage in the opening round series. The Braves defeated the Celtics twice in the final two weeks to even their season series at three games a piece while winning five of their last seven games. The Braves were scheduled to host the New York Knicks on April 6, but when the Buffalo Sabres qualified for the 1976 Stanley Cup playoffs, the National Hockey League scheduled the Sabres to be the home team on the same date. When the Braves set a $25,000 price tag on the date, the Sabres swapped home game dates with the St. Louis Blues and lost on St. Louis in a best of three series on that date. Season standings Record vs. opponents Season schedule |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 1 || October 25 || Golden State Warriors || 105–92 || 1–0 || Win 1 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 2 || October 28 || Houston Rockets || 124–108 || 2–0 || Win 2 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 3 || October 31 || @ Philadelphia 76ers || 92–87 || 3–0 || Win 3 |- |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 4 || November 1 || Detroit Pistons || 97–93 || 4–0 || Win 4 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 5 || November 4 || Philadelphia 76ers || 114–121 || 4–1 || Loss 1 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 6 || November 5 ||@ Boston Celtics || 95–105 || 4–2 || Loss 2 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 7 || November 8 || Phoenix Suns || 110–105 || 5–2 || Win 1 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 8 || November 11 || Washington Bullets || 90–105 || 5–3 || Loss 1 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 9 || November 12 ||@ Houston Rockets || 93–80 || 6–3 || Win 1 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 10 || November 14 ||@ Milwaukee Bucks