DeRozan, Harden named NBA Players of the Week

The Toronto Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan and the Houston Rockets’ James Harden today were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, March 20 through Sunday, March 26.

DeRozan paced the league in scoring (33.3 ppg) and added 5.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals as the Raptors went 3-0 for the week, extending their winning streak to five and clinching a playoff berth for the fourth straight season.

Harden led the Rockets to a 3-0 week behind averages of 33.0 points (tied for first in the West) and a league-high 13.3 assists. On March 20, he hit the game-winning layup with 2.4 seconds remaining to give the Rockets a 125-124 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Other nominees for the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Boston’s Isaiah Thomas, Charlotte’s Kemba Walker, Chicago’s Jimmy Butler, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, New Orleans’ Anthony Davis, Phoenix’s Devin Booker, Portland’s Damian Lillard, San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge, Utah’s Rudy Gobert and Washington’s Bradley Beal.