Belt game 4,616 · March 11, 1997
Dallas Mavericks take the belt
Dallas Mavericks beat New York Knicks 91–83 at home to start reign 2,034 of the NBA belt, the 18th for the franchise.
New York Knicks had held it since March 2, 1997, with 4 defenses over 9 days.
Dallas Mavericks held it for 4 days and 1 defense, then lost it to Phoenix Suns on March 15, 1997.
2,034Reign number
18Team's reign
1Defenses
4Days held
Box score
New York Knicks
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Oakley | 37 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 7-13 | 0-1 | 2-2 |
| Patrick Ewing | 36 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4-11 | 0-0 | 4-4 |
| John Starks | 27 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4-13 | 2-10 | 2-2 |
| Chris Childs | 33 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2-6 | 2-3 | 5-6 |
| Larry Johnson | 31 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4-5 | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| John Wallace | 12 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 3-4 |
| Allan Houston | 27 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3-11 | 1-5 | 1-1 |
| Buck Williams | 20 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Charlie Ward | 14 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Scott Brooks | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Herb Williams | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Walter McCarty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Dallas Mavericks
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Finley | 45 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 6-20 | 3-5 | 8-10 |
| Erick Strickland | 34 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4-12 | 2-5 | 12-12 |
| Derek Harper | 31 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6-9 | 2-2 | 4-4 |
| A.C. Green | 36 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| Shawn Bradley | 18 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 0-2 |
| Khalid Reeves | 30 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2-6 | 1-3 | 1-2 |
| Greg Dreiling | 27 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Samaki Walker | 13 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| Martin Muursepp | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| Robert Pack | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Ed O'Bannon | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Player box scores: Historical NBA Data and Player Box Scores by Eoin Moore (CC0).