Mar. 7, 1964 - Oscar Robertson, freed of the tenacious guarding of Si Green when Green injured his knee in the fourth quarter, rallied faltering Cincinnati down the stretch and the Royals nipped the Baltimore Bullets, 104-101, tonight before 8,003 at Cincinnati Gardens. The victory, the 53rd on the season for the Royals, who still maintain hopes of catching the Boston Celtics, closed the season series between the two teams, with the Royals taking the series, 8-2.
Cincinnati was up by a comfortable 13 points midway in the third quarter, but they had to fight off the Bullets after Green, a 29-point scorer, and Walt Bellamy, who tallied 27, led their team back to a pair of ties. At that stage, Green hurt his knee, and Oscar took advantage of his absence to rattle in seven of the next eight Cincinnati points and give the Royals a lead they held uncomfortably to the end.
Oscar finished with 30 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists in another big night for him. Jack Twyman scored 20 and Tom Hawkins 17. Jerry Lucas, after a good offensive first half, scored only two free throws in the final half, but they helped cinch the win, and Luke led the Royals’ rebounders with 18.
With the victory, the Royals managed to match the Celtics, who defeated the Detroit Pistons tonight, but the Celts now need only a combination of two victories or two Cincinnati defeats to clinch at least a tie for an eighth consecutive Eastern Division title.
Comments