Belt game 1,603 · January 3, 1966
Cincinnati Royals take the belt
Cincinnati Royals beat St. Louis Hawks 130–114 at home to start reign 729 of the NBA belt, the 70th for the franchise.
St. Louis Hawks had held it since December 30, 1965, with 1 defense over 4 days.
Cincinnati Royals held it for 18 days and 6 defenses, then lost it to Boston Celtics on January 21, 1966.
729Reign number
70Team's reign
6Defenses
18Days held
Box score
Cincinnati Royals
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar Robertson | 47 | 37 | 10 | 7 | — | — | 14-21 | — | 9-11 |
| Jerry Lucas | 47 | 22 | 19 | 3 | — | — | 7-18 | — | 8-12 |
| Happy Hairston | 26 | 20 | 8 | 0 | — | — | 9-16 | — | 2-3 |
| Adrian Smith | 41 | 18 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 5-17 | — | 8-8 |
| Jon McGlocklin | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 4-5 | — | 4-4 |
| Tom Hawkins | 33 | 9 | 8 | 1 | — | — | 3-8 | — | 3-3 |
| Wayne Embry | 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 2-5 | — | 2-3 |
| Tom Thacker | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1-2 | — | 0-0 |
| George Wilson | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1-1 | — | 0-0 |
| Connie Dierking | 10 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 1-2 | — | 0-0 |
| Jack Twyman | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 0-3 | — | 0-0 |
St. Louis Hawks
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cliff Hagan | 34 | 30 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 11-20 | — | 8-8 |
| Zelmo Beaty | 44 | 21 | 11 | 0 | — | — | 9-18 | — | 3-3 |
| Richie Guerin | 26 | 18 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 8-15 | — | 2-2 |
| Joe Caldwell | 23 | 15 | 15 | 2 | — | — | 6-20 | — | 3-6 |
| Lenny Wilkens | 41 | 15 | 2 | 4 | — | — | 5-15 | — | 5-9 |
| Rod Thorn | 21 | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 3-10 | — | 0-0 |
| Bill Bridges | 22 | 5 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 2-9 | — | 1-3 |
| Jim Washington | 17 | 4 | 12 | 0 | — | — | 1-5 | — | 2-2 |
| Gene Tormohlen | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 0-2 | — | 0-0 |
| Jeff Mullins | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 0-5 | — | 0-0 |
Player box scores: Historical NBA Data and Player Box Scores by Eoin Moore (CC0).