By Official Release
Posted Jan 12 2009 3:22PM
NEW YORK -- The Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard and the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Jan. 5, through Sunday, Jan. 11.

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Howard led the Magic to a 4-0 week, including wins over Washington, San Antonio and Atlanta twice. Posting a double-double in all four contests, Howard topped the Magic in scoring twice and rebounding on three occasions. Howard's 13.8 rpg and 3.3 bpg both pace the league. The current leader in All-Star balloting, Howard seeks to become just the fourth player in NBA history to lead the NBA in both categories in the same season.
Bryant helped the Lakers to a 3-1 week, including wins over the Warriors, Pacers and Heat. Bryant, who tallied two 30-plus-point games on the week, led the Western Conference in scoring at 28.8 ppg. In the Lakers' 121-119 win over Indiana on Jan. 9, Bryant dished out a season-high 13 assists and added 36 points. The 30-6 (.883) Lakers own the NBA's best record.
Here is a recap of the week for Howard and Bryant:
Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
• Jan. 6 vs. Washington: Tallied 15 points and 16 rebounds in an 89-80 win over the Wizards.
• Jan. 7 @ Atlanta: Scored 23 points and added 19 rebounds as the Magic topped the Hawks 106-102.
• Jan. 9 vs. Atlanta: Helped Orlando sweep a home-and-home with the Hawks by posting 16 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.
• Jan. 11 @ San Antonio: Posted 24 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a 105-98 win over the Spurs.
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
• Jan. 6 vs. New Orleans: Connected on 6-of-7 three-point field goal attempts en route to 39 points in a 116-105 loss to the Hornets.
• Jan. 7 @ Golden State: Tallied 21 points, five assists and five steals in a 114-106 win over the Warriors.
• Jan. 9 vs. Indiana: Poured in 36 points and added a season-high 13 assists as the Lakers topped the Pacers 121-119.
• Jan. 11 vs. Miami: Tallied 19 points and seven assists in a 108-105 win over the Heat.
Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Cleveland's LeBron James, Houston's Von Wafer, Miami's Dwyane Wade, New Jersey's Vince Carter, Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller, Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge and Utah's Paul Millsap.


![]() | Pacers vs. Bobcats The Bobcats blow out the Pacers in Tyler Hansbrough's first trip back to North Carolina. |
![]() | Chalmers to Wade Mario Chalmers hits Dwyane Wade with a perfect alley-oop. |
![]() | Hornets vs. Heat: First half Dwyane Wade has 16 points as the Heat lead the Hornets 59-52 at the half. |
![]() | Celtics vs. Knicks Kevin Garnett hits a jumper at the buzzer to give the Celtics the win in overtime. |
![]() | Game Winner KG hits a huge shot at the buzzer in overtime to give the Celtics the win. |
![]() | Buzzer-Beater Marcus Thorton drains a running jumper to beat the 1st quarter buzzer. |
![]() | Hammer Time Dwyane Wade blows right by Devin Brown for the vicious one-handed jam. |
![]() | Quick Hands Derrick Brown picks the pocket of Danny Granger and finishes down at the other end. |
![]() | Slam Dunk Gerald Wallace drives down the middle and tosses down a dunk. |
![]() | Pistons vs. Suns Preview The Pistons head into Phoenix to take on the red hot Suns on NBA TV. (SUN 8:00 PM EST) |