Centers Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics and Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers were named NBA Players of the Week on Monday.
Garnett won for the Eastern Conference, leading the Celtics to a 4-1 record. He played in four games and averaged 20.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals – not bad for a guy forced to play out of position.
Garnett had 22 points, 12 rebounds and three steals in an 88-86 home win over Atlanta. During his big week, Boston overtook Philadelphia for the Atlantic Division lead.
Bynum won for the Western Conference as the Lakers went 4-0 – without NBA scoring leader Kobe Bryant. The big man averaged 21.8 points, 16.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
In a 98-84 win over San Antonio, Bynum swept 30 boards, joining Kevin Love as the only players this century to reach that milestone.
Other nominees were Denver rookie Kenneth Faried, Indiana’s Danny Granger, Chris Paul of the Clippers, Rudy Gay of Memphis, Eric Gordon of New Orleans, New York’s Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City.