Hassan Whiteside, Damian Lillard named Players of the Week

The Miami Heat’s Hassan Whiteside and the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard today were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, March 13 through Sunday, March 19.

Whiteside finished second in the East in rebounding (13.7 rpg) and 11th in scoring (20.0 ppg) while shooting an NBA-best 73.0 percent from the field as the Heat went 2-1 for the week. He also paced the East in blocked shots (2.67 bpg) and extended his streak with a block to a season-high 26 straight games.

Lillard led the Trail Blazers to a 3-1 week, with all of Portland’s wins coming on the road. He paced the league in scoring (35.3 ppg) and added 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 59.4 percent from three-point range. Lillard was also 36-for-36 from the free throw line.

Other nominees for the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Houston’s James Harden, Memphis’ Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, Miami’s Goran Dragic, New Orleans’ Anthony Davis, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook and Philadelphia’s Dario Saric.