Dec. 10, 1963 - Baltimore’s Gus Johnson (pictured) broke the basket, but San Francisco won the game at Oakland Auditorium tonight. With mighty Wilt Chamberlain providing a 49-point scoring performance, the Warriors outplayed the Bullets in the final quarter to carve out a 117-108 victory before a meager gathering of 1,504. The few that were in attendance got to see a basketball rarity when the game had to be delayed 22 minutes for repairs to a basket and plexiglass backboard broken by a dunker sent crashing through the hoop by Gus Johnson, the Bullets’ 6-6 rookie from the University of Idaho. Johnson pulled a groin muscle on the play. That blaster cut San Francisco’s margin to 84-78 with 1:02 left in the third period, and both coaches announced they were playing the game under protest — San Francisco’s Alex Hannum because no technical foul was called against Johnson for hanging on the rim, and Baltimore’s Bob Leonard because of a “defective backboard.” Meanwhile, a steel bar had been placed under the backing plate of the backboard, and this restored the board to good condition. There was a minor threat of a fight in the first period, when San Francisco’s Wayne Hightower and Baltimore’s Terry Dischinger glared at each other with upraised fists after both were called on a double foul by referee Sid Borgia. But no blows were struck. Both squads rushed out on the court to help their teammates.
