Belt game 2,267 · January 5, 1973
Phoenix Suns take the belt
Phoenix Suns beat Chicago Bulls 126–115 on the road to start reign 997 of the NBA belt, the 10th for the franchise.
Chicago Bulls had held it since December 30, 1972, with 2 defenses over 6 days.
Phoenix Suns held it for 7 days and 2 defenses, then lost it to Golden State Warriors on January 12, 1973.
997Reign number
10Team's reign
2Defenses
7Days held
Box score
Phoenix Suns
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dick Van Arsdale | 36 | 36 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 12-15 | — | 12-12 |
| Connie Hawkins | 41 | 21 | 9 | 4 | — | — | 9-15 | — | 3-4 |
| Neal Walk | 37 | 20 | 12 | 6 | — | — | 9-17 | — | 2-4 |
| Charlie Scott | 30 | 14 | 0 | 4 | — | — | 7-13 | — | 0-2 |
| Clem Haskins | 23 | 12 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 5-7 | — | 2-3 |
| Corky Calhoun | 27 | 11 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 2-5 | — | 7-7 |
| Lamar Green | 32 | 8 | 14 | 3 | — | — | 4-8 | — | 0-0 |
| Dennis Layton | 12 | 4 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 0-0 | — | 4-4 |
| Walt Wesley | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0-0 | — | 0-0 |
Chicago Bulls
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Love | 45 | 36 | 10 | 2 | — | — | 16-33 | — | 4-6 |
| Chet Walker | 30 | 18 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 7-17 | — | 4-5 |
| Jerry Sloan | 34 | 18 | 9 | 1 | — | — | 9-20 | — | 0-0 |
| Clifford Ray | 28 | 14 | 11 | 8 | — | — | 6-8 | — | 2-4 |
| Garfield Heard | 21 | 13 | 7 | 1 | — | — | 4-8 | — | 5-9 |
| Norm Van Lier | 39 | 8 | 2 | 9 | — | — | 3-15 | — | 2-2 |
| Bob Weiss | 23 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 2-6 | — | 0-0 |
| Dennis Awtrey | 20 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 0-3 | — | 4-6 |
Player box scores: Historical NBA Data and Player Box Scores by Eoin Moore (CC0).