Belt game 1,188 · February 16, 1961
Syracuse Nationals take the belt
Syracuse Nationals beat New York Knicks 132–120 at home to start reign 543 of the NBA belt, the 50th for the franchise.
New York Knicks had held it since February 15, 1961, with 0 defenses over 1 day.
Syracuse Nationals held it for 3 days and 2 defenses, then lost it to Boston Celtics on February 19, 1961.
543Reign number
50Team's reign
2Defenses
3Days held
Box score
New York Knicks
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willie Naulls | 0 | 31 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 9-11 |
| Dick Garmaker | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 6-8 |
| Johnny Green | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2-3 |
| Richie Guerin | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 9-13 |
| Darrall Imhoff | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2-2 |
| Bob McNeill | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2-5 |
| Phil Rollins | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0-0 |
| Phil Jordon | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2-2 |
| Dave Budd | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0-0 | — | 0-0 |
| Jim Palmer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0-0 | — | 0-0 |
Syracuse Nationals
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hal Greer | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0-0 |
| Johnny Kerr | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4-4 |
| Dick Barnett | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 5-6 |
| Dolph Schayes | 0 | 15 | 11 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 9-10 |
| Dave Gambee | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3-4 |
| Larry Costello | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3-4 |
| Barney Cable | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0-1 |
| Joe Roberts | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1-2 |
| Harvey Halbrook | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1-3 |
Player box scores: Historical NBA Data and Player Box Scores by Eoin Moore (CC0).