Belt game 562 · December 25, 1953
New York Knicks take the belt
New York Knicks beat Syracuse Nationals 89–80 at home to start reign 250 of the NBA belt, the 33rd for the franchise.
Syracuse Nationals had held it since December 20, 1953, with 1 defense over 5 days.
New York Knicks held it for 5 days and 2 defenses, then lost it to Baltimore Bullets (1947–54) on December 30, 1953.
250Reign number
33Team's reign
2Defenses
5Days held
Box score
New York Knicks
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Braun | 27 | 21 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 9-11 | — | 3-6 |
| Harry Gallatin | 32 | 15 | 14 | 4 | — | — | 4-10 | — | 7-8 |
| Vince Boryla | 41 | 14 | 9 | 2 | — | — | 5-15 | — | 4-4 |
| Connie Simmons | 31 | 13 | 9 | 3 | — | — | 4-10 | — | 5-11 |
| Dick McGuire | 35 | 10 | 8 | 8 | — | — | 4-7 | — | 2-4 |
| Nat Clifton | 34 | 8 | 10 | 4 | — | — | 3-7 | — | 2-3 |
| Jim Baechtold | 25 | 4 | 0 | 2 | — | — | 1-5 | — | 2-2 |
| Ernie Vandeweghe | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1-2 | — | 0-0 |
| Al McGuire | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 1-1 | — | 0-1 |
Syracuse Nationals
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolph Schayes | 35 | 22 | 17 | 7 | — | — | 8-18 | — | 6-7 |
| George King | 36 | 16 | 2 | 5 | — | — | 7-15 | — | 2-6 |
| Paul Seymour | 41 | 12 | 6 | 4 | — | — | 4-14 | — | 4-6 |
| Billy Gabor | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3-7 | — | 2-3 |
| Jim Neal | 10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3-5 | — | 0-0 |
| Bill Kenville | 27 | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 2-5 | — | 2-4 |
| Earl Lloyd | 27 | 4 | 5 | 3 | — | — | 1-5 | — | 2-2 |
| Wally Osterkorn | 25 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 1-7 | — | 2-4 |
| Bob Lavoy | 23 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 0-5 | — | 2-2 |
Player box scores: Historical NBA Data and Player Box Scores by Eoin Moore (CC0).