Belt game 1,244 · December 26, 1961
Boston Celtics take the belt
Boston Celtics beat Los Angeles Lakers 129–117 at home to start reign 566 of the NBA belt, the 73rd for the franchise.
Los Angeles Lakers had held it since December 19, 1961, with 3 defenses over 7 days.
Boston Celtics held it for 3 days and 1 defense, then lost it to New York Knicks on December 29, 1961.
566Reign number
73Team's reign
1Defenses
3Days held
Box score
Boston Celtics
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Cousy | 28 | 26 | 0 | 6 | — | — | 10-17 | — | 6-6 |
| Sam Jones | 35 | 23 | 0 | 4 | — | — | 9-18 | — | 5-5 |
| Tom Heinsohn | 27 | 22 | 0 | 3 | — | — | 10-17 | — | 2-2 |
| Bill Russell | 48 | 22 | 32 | 7 | — | — | 8-17 | — | 6-9 |
| Frank Ramsey | 18 | 15 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7-14 | — | 1-1 |
| K.C. Jones | 23 | 11 | 0 | 5 | — | — | 4-6 | — | 3-6 |
| Thomas Sanders | 24 | 4 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 1-10 | — | 2-2 |
| Jim Loscutoff | 23 | 4 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 2-9 | — | 0-0 |
| Gary Phillips | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 1-3 | — | 0-0 |
Los Angeles Lakers
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin Baylor | 40 | 30 | 18 | 2 | — | — | 10-27 | — | 10-11 |
| Jerry West | 34 | 21 | 8 | 4 | — | — | 5-12 | — | 11-11 |
| Ray Felix | 29 | 18 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8-12 | — | 2-3 |
| Frank Selvy | 40 | 17 | 0 | 3 | — | — | 7-15 | — | 3-3 |
| Rudy LaRusso | 26 | 10 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 3-7 | — | 4-5 |
| Rod Hundley | 12 | 7 | 0 | 3 | — | — | 3-5 | — | 1-2 |
| Bob McNeill | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | — | — | 1-2 | — | 2-2 |
| Wayne Yates | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2-10 | — | 0-0 |
| Tom Hawkins | 17 | 4 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 1-10 | — | 2-4 |
| Jim Krebs | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1-2 | — | 0-0 |
Player box scores: Historical NBA Data and Player Box Scores by Eoin Moore (CC0).