Dec. 17, 1963 - The New York Knicks suffered their seventh straight defeat tonight, losing to the Detroit Pistons, 107-103, before a crowd of 7,864 at Madison Square Garden. A total of 67 fouls was committed by the two teams. In contrast to the dismal proceedings of the two featured teams, the opening game between the Boston Celtics and the Baltimore Bullets produced some fancy passing and shooting. The Celtics won, 131-114. For the Knicks of coach Eddie Donovan (pictured), things could not get much worse. New York now has lost 12 of its last 13 games. But, having scored two victories previously over Detroit, there was some hope that the Knicks might continue that success and end their losing streak. In the fourth quarter, the score was tied three times, but the Knicks’ attack ran aground in the closing minutes. The Knicks were the victims of ill fortune, however. Many of their well-aimed shots rolled off the basket and missed going in by the smallest of margins. But they were often guilty of bad passing, poor ball handling, and failure to play a cohesive defensive game. The Knicks made only 35 field goals in 91 attempts. Detroit wasn’t much better, but the Pistons, coached by Charlie Wolf, made their shots count in the final two minutes. The fans could be thankful, at least, that the game did not go into overtime. In the battle of centers in the opening contest, 6-10 Bill Russell of the Celtics had to yield to 6-11 Walt Bellamy of the Bullets after he was charged with his fourth foul early in the second half. Allowed virtually to maneuver freely, Bellamy went to work and finished with a game-high 45 points. Russell won the rebound battle, however, notching 25 to Bellamy’s 15. Boston’s sharpshooter was John Havlicek. The former Ohio State star, now in his second pro season, hit his jump shot repeatedly despite the guarding of Gene Shue. He finished with 43 points.
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