Russell Westbrook and Kemba Walker named NBA Players of the Week
Tuesday 9 April 2019 07:03, UK
Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbook has been named Western Conference Player of the Week while Charlotte Hornets' Kemba Walker scooped Eastern Conference honours for games played between April 1-7.
In three Week 25 games, Westbrook averaged 22 points, 17 assists and 12.7 rebounds to lead the Thunder to a 3-0 record with wins over the Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Westbrook recorded the second 20-20-20 game in NBA history last week, posting 20 points, 20 rebounds and 21 assists in the Thunder's victory over the Lakers.
The Player of the Week award for Westbrook is his second of the season. He earned it on November 5 for games played October 29 to November 4, during which he averaged 28 points per game.
His performances last week allowed him to seal a third consecutive season averaging a triple-double (23.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 10.7 assists per game).
In the Eastern Conference, Kemba Walker has been named Player of the Week, the seventh time he has earned the honour - the most in the Charlotte Hornets' franchise history.
During the week Walker, who led the Hornets to a 3-1 record, ranked first in the NBA in points per game (34.8) and total points scored (139). He averaged 6.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. He shot 50.0 per cent from the field, 40.6 per cent from the three-point line and 89.5 per cent from the free-throw line during the week. Walker's 47 points on April 1 was his sixth 40-point game of the season, tied for fifth-most in the NBA.
With 32 points, seven assists and three rebounds against the Pelicans on April 3, Walker recorded his 26th 30-point game of the season, passing Glen Rice for the Hornets franchise record for 30-point games in a season.
Walker scored 21 of his 32 points at New Orleans in the fourth quarter, making him the first player since Kobe Bryant in 2006 with consecutive 20-point fourth quarters after having notched 22 in the fourth at Utah on April 1 (via ESPN Stats and Info).
The three-time NBA All-Star set the franchise record for three-pointers made in a season when he made his 244th three-pointer at New Orleans on April 3. With his 250th made three-pointer at Detroit on April 7, Walker became only the ninth different player in NBA history to connect on 250+ threes in a season. Walker currently sits at 252 made three-pointers this season, good for fifth-most in the NBA and the most in the Eastern Conference.
The all-time leading scorer in Hornets history, Walker, scored his 2,000th point of the season on April 5 vs Toronto, making him only the second player in franchise history to score 2,000 points in a season (Glen Rice, 1996-97). Walker is one of only six players to score 2,000 points in the NBA this season.
