The Lakers had lost their previous game to the Golden State Warriors. Elgin Baylor scored eight points and grabbed six caroms. Baylor’s knee only allowed him to play 23 minutes and he couldn’t keep up with coach Bill Sharman’s fast break style of offense. Instead of moving to the bench at Sharman’s asking, Elgin Baylor announced his retirement on November 4, 1971, the day before this game.
The Lakers-Bullets game remained close throughout. Wilt finished with 12 points, 25 rebounds, and six assists. Happy Hairston and Jim McMillian had double doubles, and six of the seven Lakers who played scored in double figures. The Lakers won 110-106.
Unbeknownst to anyone, the Lakers had just begun the greatest run of victories in a season in NBA history, an incomparable 33-game winning streak. Even more, it is the longest winning streak in the four major American sports.
The original owner of this ticket missed the first victory of the Lakers 33-game streak. It has been over 50 years and the closest any team has come to equaling the record in a single season is the Heatles with 27 a decade ago.
This ticket in full, unused form is a PSA pop 0. There is one stub in the pop report.
Please take a look at the scans for condition. This ticket displays paper clip indentations that are sometimes difficult to see in scans. I have been a long time ticket collector and will be posting many additional tickets in the coming weeks. The item you see pictured is the actual item you will receive. Feel free to email me with any questions. I will ship for free anywhere in the United States.