James Harden and Brook Lopez named NBA players of the week

James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Brook Lopez of the Brooklyn Nets were named the Western and Eastern Conference NBA Player of the Week respectively for the week between March 30th and April 5th.

Here’s a recap of their week:

James Harden:

The MVP frontrunner James Harden led the Houston Rockets past the Memphis Grizzlies for the second seed in the West with another 3-0 unbeaten week in the league.

Harden averaged 38.6 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, over the three games during the week, which included a career-high 51 point game against the Sacramento Kings. He shot 64% from the field and 88.9% from downtown against the Kings as the Rockets won the high-scoring bout 115-111.

Against the Oklahoma City Thunder he had 41 points, but was fouled out, however, his team regrouped to seal the win.

He has more 40-point games than the rest of the league combined, he is currently tied with Russell Westbrook for the scoring title with a season average of 27.7 points and he is also among players with top 5 steals’ averages. This is Harden’s third Player of the Week this season.

Brook Lopez:

Brook Lopez wins his second consecutive Eastern Conference Player of the Week as his performances have led the Brooklyn Nets to eight victories in the last 10 games. The team’s recent hot streak has lifted them from the bottom of the pile to the top of the five teams fighting for the last two Playoff spots in the East.

Lopez is averaging 23 points and 10 rebounds in the five games that the Nets played this week. The most important win came with a tip in off Lopez against the Nets’ rivals the New York Knicks.