Belt game 622 · December 1, 1954
New York Knicks take the belt
New York Knicks beat Syracuse Nationals 88–86 at home to start reign 280 of the NBA belt, the 37th for the franchise.
Syracuse Nationals had held it since November 18, 1954, with 5 defenses over 13 days.
New York Knicks held it for 3 days and 0 defenses, then lost it to Detroit Pistons on December 4, 1954.
280Reign number
37Team's reign
0Defenses
3Days held
Box score
New York Knicks
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nat Clifton | 33 | 19 | 19 | 2 | — | — | 7-14 | — | 5-9 |
| Carl Braun | 46 | 16 | 3 | 8 | — | — | 4-15 | — | 8-10 |
| Jim Baechtold | 32 | 15 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 7-12 | — | 1-2 |
| Ray Felix | 29 | 14 | 13 | 0 | — | — | 4-14 | — | 6-10 |
| Harry Gallatin | 36 | 10 | 16 | 1 | — | — | 3-9 | — | 4-6 |
| Jack Turner | 16 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 1-2 | — | 4-5 |
| Gene Shue | 18 | 5 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 1-5 | — | 3-4 |
| Dick McGuire | 14 | 3 | 1 | 4 | — | — | 1-1 | — | 1-4 |
| Bear, The Body Hoffman | 16 | 0 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 0-4 | — | 0-0 |
Syracuse Nationals
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connie Simmons | 39 | 23 | 12 | 3 | — | — | 10-22 | — | 3-7 |
| Dolph Schayes | 27 | 17 | 14 | 2 | — | — | 4-10 | — | 9-10 |
| Dick Farley | 33 | 16 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 6-16 | — | 4-5 |
| Paul Seymour | 48 | 9 | 9 | 11 | — | — | 2-16 | — | 5-7 |
| Earl Lloyd | 25 | 9 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 4-10 | — | 1-1 |
| Red Rocha | 37 | 7 | 11 | 1 | — | — | 3-16 | — | 1-2 |
| Bill Kenville | 22 | 3 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 1-7 | — | 1-1 |
| Johnny Kerr | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0-2 | — | 2-3 |
Player box scores: Historical NBA Data and Player Box Scores by Eoin Moore (CC0).