Posted: Jan. 22, 2007
After leading the Suns to a perfect 4-0 week and a 13-game win streak, guard Steve Nash was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for January 15-21, the NBA announced today.
This is his seventh career NBA Player of the Week honor, second this season and sixth as a Sun for Nash, who also won the weekly award on Dec. 11, 2006, Jan. 8, 2006, Nov. 28, 2005, Feb. 14, 2005, Dec. 27, 2004, and one as a member of the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 16, 2001.
Nash guided the team to a 4-0 record last week and averaged a league-high 13.8 assists to go along with his 15.5 points on 57.5 percent shooting. The NBA’s assist leader for the third consecutive season dished out at least 11 assists in each game and had a double-double in each game.
The 11-year NBA veteran had 12 points and 15 assists in a 137-122 victory at Memphis on Jan. 15, 21 points and 14 dishes in a 100-91 win at Houston on Jan. 17, 13 points and 15 assists in a 106-101 victory vs. Portland on Jan. 19 and 16 points and 11 dimes in a 131-102 triumph vs. Minnesota on Jan. 21.
The reigning back-to-back NBA’s Most Valuable Player is averaging a career-high 19.3 points and a career-high tying 11.5 assists in 38 games played this season, and is on pace to become the first NBA player to average over 19 points and 11 assists in a single season since Magic Johnson and former Sun Kevin Johnson did it in 1989-90.
Forward Shawn Marion (14.3 points, team-high 14.8 rebounds, team-high 2.25 blocks, team-high 2.00 blocks) and center Amaré Stoudemire (team-high 28.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, team-high .636 field goal percentage) were also nominees for the award.
The Pacific Division-leading Suns (32-8) will try to extend the NBA’s longest active win streak to 14 games vs. the Southeast Division-leading Washington Wizards (24-16) at 5 p.m. tomorrow at the Verizon Center. The Wizards earlier this season snapped the Suns’ franchise-record 15-game win streak with a 144-139 overtime win in Phoenix on Dec. 22. The contest will be televised locally on My45 and on NBA TV. If the Suns defeat the Wizards, they would become just the fifth team in NBA history to post two separate win streaks of 14 or more in a single season.