NBA NEWS - PLAYERS OF THE WEEk & MONTH

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker - NBA photo

Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce - NBA photo

Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant - NBA photo

Miami Heat’s LeBron James - NBA photo

BOSTON’S PAUL PIERCE AND SAN ANTONIO’S TONY PARKER NAMED NBA EASTERN AND WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK for games played Monday, Jan. 30, through Sunday, Feb. 5. - MIAMI’S LEBRON JAMES AND LOS ANGELES LAKERS’ KOBE BRYANT NAMED KIA NBA EASTERN AND WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE MONTH for games played in December and January

NEW YORK, N.Y. USA

Monday February 06, 2012

The Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce and the San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Jan. 30, through Sunday, Feb. 5.

In helping guide the Celtics to a 4-0 week, Pierce averaged a team-high 22.0 points to go along with 6.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds. In Boston’s 91-89 home win over New York Friday, Pierce scored a game-high 30 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists.

Parker averaged team highs in points (22.3 ppg), assists (8.0 apg) and steals (1.5 spg), as the Spurs went 4-0. Parker scored a season-high 42 points and added nine assists Saturday in a 107-96 win over the NBA’s top team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the process, Parker passed Avery Johnson as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists.

Here is a recap of the week for Pierce and Parker:

Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics

Jan. 31 @ Cleveland: Recorded 20 points, six assists and three steals in a 93-90 win over the Cavaliers.

Feb. 1 vs. Toronto: Tallied 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds in 26 minutes in a 100-64 victory over the Raptors.

Feb. 5 vs. Memphis: Closed the week with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists during a 98-80 victory over the Grizzlies.

Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs

Jan. 30 @ Memphis: Recorded a game-high 12 assists to go along with five points, five rebounds, and two steals in an 83-73 victory.

Feb. 1 vs. Houston: Tallied 24 points, four assists, and two steals during a 99-91 win over the Rockets.

Feb. 2 vs. New Orleans: Scored 18 points and added seven assists and five rebounds as the Spurs bested the Hornets 93-81.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Chicago’s Derrick Rose, Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao, Detroit’s Greg Monroe, Miami’s LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings, Minnesota’s Kevin Love, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, and Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge.

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH

The Miami Heat’s LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant were named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in December and January.

James led Miami to a 16-5 (.762) record for games played in December and January, matching the best start to a season in franchise history, behind averages of 29.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists. A three-time Eastern Conference player of the week so far this season, James ranks second in the NBA in scoring, fourth in field goal percentage (.551), ninth in minutes (37.4 mpg) and 10th in steals (1.8 spg). Appearing in 20 of Miami’s 21 games, James led the team in scoring 16 times, tallying 25-plus points 16 times and 30-plus points on 11 occasions.

Bryant averaged a league-high 30.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists for games played in December and January, helping the Lakers to a 13-9 record (.591). On Jan. 1 at Denver, Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to score 28,000 points. On Jan. 10 in Phoenix, Bryant scored an NBA season-high 48 points, kicking off four straight 40-plus-point games over a five-night span. Bryant passed Jerry West as the Lakers franchise leader in free throws made on Jan. 28 at Milwaukee and passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the franchise leader in field goals made on Jan. 29 at Minnesota.

Here is a closer look at the month for James and Bryant:

LeBron James, Miami Heat

Dec. 25 @ Dallas: Tallied 37 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a 105-94 season-opening win over the Mavericks.

Jan. 4 vs. Indiana: Posted 33 points, a season-high 13 assists and eight rebounds in a 118-83 win over the Pacers.

Jan. 29 vs. Chicago: Collected 35 points, 11 rebounds and five assists during a 97-93 victory over the Bulls.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Jan. 3 vs. Houston: Posted 37 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a 108-99 win over the Rockets.

Jan. 10 vs. Phoenix: Tallied a season-high 48 points on 18-of-31 shooting to go with five rebounds, three assists and three steals during a 99-83 win over the Suns.

Jan. 29 @ Minnesota: Collected a 35-point, 14-rebound double-double during a 106-101 win over the Timberwolves.

Other nominees for NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month were Atlanta’s Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, Chicago’s Derrick Rose, Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving, Dallas’ Shawn Marion, Houston’s Kyle Lowry, Indiana’s Roy Hibbert and Danny Granger, Memphis’ Marc Gasol, New Jersey’s Deron Williams, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge.