James, Bryant named Players of the Week

NEW YORK -- The Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Dec. 22, through Sunday, Dec. 28.

James guided the Cavaliers to a 3-0 mark, with home wins over the Rockets, Wizards and Heat, improving Cleveland's mark at Quicken Loans Arena to 16-0, tops in the NBA. He averaged 26.0 points on 53 percent shooting, while adding 6.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists, as Cleveland improved to 26-4, the best start in franchise history. He finished with 27 points, including 19 in the second half, as Cleveland rallied to defeat Houston. He tallied 11 fourth-quarter points and finished with 33 points and nine assists in a comeback win over Miami.

Bryant led the Lakers to a 4-0 week, averaging 30.0 points on 54 percent shooting, to go with 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He tallied a game-high 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists, as the Lakers defeated Boston on Christmas Day, 92-83, snapping the Celtics' 19-game winning streak. He capped off the week going 10-for-10 from the free throw line en route to scoring 31 points in a 130-113 victory over Golden State.

Here is a recap of the week for James and Bryant:

LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Dec. 23 vs. Houston: Tallied 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a 99-90 win over the Rockets.
• Dec. 25 vs. Washington: Celebrated Christmas with 18 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals in a 93-89 win over the Wizards.
• Dec. 28 vs. Miami: Capped off the week with 33 points, nine assists and six rebounds in a 93-86 win over the Heat.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
• Dec. 22 @ Memphis: Tallied 36 points, four rebounds and three assists in the Lakers' 105-96 win over the Grizzlies.
• Dec. 23 @ New Orleans: Finished with 26 points, six rebounds and four assists in the Lakers' 100-87 win over the Hornets.
• Dec. 25 vs. Boston: Scored a game-high 27 points, to go with nine rebounds and five assists in the Lakers' 92-83 win over the Celtics.
• Dec. 28 vs. Golden State: Hit for 31 points and tied a season-high with four steals in the Lakers' 130-113 win over the Warriors.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Miami's Dwyane Wade, Orlando's Rashard Lewis, Cleveland's Mo Williams, Charlotte's Gerald Wallace, Atlanta's Joe Johnson, Detroit's Rodney Stuckey, Houston's Yao Ming, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, San Antonio's Tony Parker and Toronto's Jermaine O'Neal.