Dec. 6, 1963 - Wilt Chamberlain picked tonight to register the season’s high score for an individual, but he happened to run into the Lakers on a night when they refused to be denied. The 7-foot-1-inch star of the San Francisco Warriors thrilled a Cow Palace crowd of 4,081 by scoring 59 points, but the Lakers, using a relay system to try and stop him, roared to a 110-103 victory. The hard-earned triumph, which featured a brilliant performance by Elgin Baylor, gave Los Angeles a 5-2 record on a 12-day road trip that could have meant disaster to its hopes of winning a third straight division crown. As it was, L.A. wound up with victories over St. Louis, Cincinnati and San Francisco on enemy courts, and the club now sits 1½ games in front of the Hawks in the standings. Jerry West deserves some credit for tonight’s victory as well. Although his famed jump shot was not working in the usual manner, the slim guard from West Virginia sparkled on defense, passed sharply, and managed to chip in with key field goals — enough to wind up the Lakers’ leading scorer with 27. Chamberlain’s point total, though it was the highest in the NBA this season, might easily have been more but for the fact that the big fellow missed 14 of 29 free throws before a none-to-sympathetic audience. The teams meet again in Los Angeles Sunday at 7 p.m.
