Hawks’ starters, James Harden named Players of the Month

The Atlanta Hawks' starting five and the Houston Rockets' James Harden on Wednesday were named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in January.

The Hawks finished the best calendar month in NBA history with a 17-0 record, outscoring opponents by an average of 11.9 points and showing the offensive balance that has defined their surge to the top of the East. All five Atlanta starters averaged double figures in scoring, ranging from 12.3 points to 18.3 points.

Paul Millsap (18.3 ppg in January), Al Horford (17.1 ppg), Jeff Teague (16.6 ppg) and Kyle Korver (13.4 ppg) all started each of the 16 games they appeared in for the month, and DeMarre Carroll (12.3 ppg) started all 14 of his games.

Harden ranked third in the NBA in scoring (25.8 ppg) for the month, as he helped the Rockets to an 11-6 record. Harden added 6.7 apg (fifth in the West) and 2.18 steals (third in the West), and shot 42.6 percent from three-point range.

Other nominees for Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month were Cleveland's Kyrie Irving, Detroit's Greg Monroe, Golden State's Klay Thompson, Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul, Memphis' Zach Randolph, Phoenix's Eric Bledsoe, and Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge.