Belt game 2,645 · January 4, 1977
Atlanta Hawks take the belt
Atlanta Hawks beat Denver Nuggets 113–109 at home to start reign 1,173 of the NBA belt, the 98th for the franchise.
Denver Nuggets had held it since January 2, 1977, with 0 defenses over 2 days.
Atlanta Hawks held it for 2 days and 0 defenses, then lost it to Indiana Pacers on January 6, 1977.
1,173Reign number
98Team's reign
0Defenses
2Days held
Box score
Atlanta Hawks
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lou Hudson | 42 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10-25 | — | 5-5 |
| Tom Henderson | 34 | 21 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 8-21 | — | 5-7 |
| Joe Meriweather | 25 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 9-13 | — | 0-0 |
| John Brown | 36 | 18 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7-14 | — | 4-5 |
| Randy Denton | 24 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3-6 | — | 2-3 |
| Ken Charles | 25 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3-9 | — | 2-2 |
| Mike Sojourner | 17 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4-6 | — | 0-0 |
| Bill Willoughby | 15 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2-3 | — | 0-0 |
| Tom Barker | 18 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1-4 | — | 1-2 |
| Armond Hill | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | — | 0-0 |
Denver Nuggets
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Issel | 38 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12-20 | — | 5-6 |
| David Thompson | 37 | 23 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6-22 | — | 11-13 |
| Bobby Jones | 32 | 14 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6-13 | — | 2-2 |
| Ted, Hound Dog McClain | 37 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5-10 | — | 3-4 |
| Paul Silas | 21 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2-8 | — | 4-4 |
| Willie Wise | 28 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2-4 | — | 4-6 |
| Jim Price | 14 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-4 | — | 1-1 |
| Marvin Webster | 12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1-2 | — | 1-2 |
| Roland Taylor | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0-2 | — | 2-2 |
| Byron Beck | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-3 | — | 0-0 |
Player box scores: Historical NBA Data and Player Box Scores by Eoin Moore (CC0).