Wade, Gasol named Players of the Month for February

NEW YORK -- The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade and the Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month presented by Kia Motors, respectively, for games played during February.

Wade led the Eastern Conference in scoring (30.7 ppg) while shooting .502 from the field, and ranked second in assists (8.7 apg) and fourth in steals (2.0 spg), as the Heat went 6-6. Wade scored at least 20 points in every game and on Feb. 22, he tallied a career-high 50 points at Orlando. He paced the Heat in scoring 11 times and in assists 10.

Gasol helped the Lakers to an 11-2 record in February that included back-to-back wins at Boston and at Cleveland. Gasol averaged 20.9 points on .586 shooting and 10.9 rebounds -- second in the Western Conference behind teammate Lamar Odom (13.4 rpg).

Here is a closer look at the month for Wade and Gasol:

Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat

Feb. 22 @ Orlando: Scored career-high 50 points in a 122-99 loss.

Feb. 24 vs. Detroit: Tallied 31 points and a career-high 16 assists in a 103-91 victory.

Feb. 28 vs. New York: Recorded 46 points -- 24 in the fourth -- 10 assists and eight boards in a 120-115 win.

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers

Feb. 5 @ Boston: Recorded 24 points and 14 rebounds in a 110-109 victory.

Feb. 8 @ Cleveland: Tallied 18 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in a 101-91 win.

Feb. 17 vs. Atlanta: Recorded 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his third career in a 96-83 win.

Other nominees for Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month presented by Kia Motors were Boston's Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo, Charlotte's Boris Diaw, Cleveland's LeBron James, Golden State's Stephen Jackson, Houston's Yao Ming, Milwaukee's Ramon Sessions, New Jersey's Devin Harris, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant and Utah's Deron Williams.

The Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month presented by Kia Motors are part of a series of on-court performance awards called "The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors." The series, currently in its second season, is part of a multiyear marketing partnership between Kia Motors America and the NBA, and includes four of the league's most prestigious year-end honors: Most Valuable Player Award, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man Award, and Most Improved Player. As part of its support of the Performance Awards, Kia Motors will donate a brand-new 2010 Borrego SUV or Sedona minivan to the charity of choice of each 2009 award winner. For more information on the "The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors" visit www.NBA.com/performanceawards.