Harden, Wall named NBA players of the week

The Washington Wizards’ John Wall and the Houston Rockets’ James Harden today were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Dec. 26 through Sunday, Jan. 1.

Wall led the Wizards to a 3-0 week, with all three victories coming at home, where Washington has won eight consecutive games. He averaged 24.3 points (eighth in the East), an NBA-leading 13.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.67 steals (second in the East) for the week.

Harden lifted the Rockets to a 4-0 week by leading the NBA in scoring (37.3 ppg), ranking second in the league in assists (12.5 apg) and finishing tied for eighth in the West in rebounding (9.8 rpg).

The 27-year-old Houston guard closed the week with back-to-back triple-doubles, including a historic performance in a 129-122 victory against the New York Knicks on Dec. 31, when Harden scored a career-high 53 points, equaled a career best with 17 assists and grabbed a Rockets-season-high 16 rebounds.

Other nominees for the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Boston’s Isaiah Thomas, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, LA Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, New Orleans’ Anthony Davis, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Portland’s C.J. McCollum and Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins.