Suns guard Devin Booker and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week, the league announced (via Twitter). It’s the second time this season that each player has earned the honor.
In four games last week, Booker went on a scoring spree, averaging 42.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 block in 37.4 minutes per contest. The three-time All-Star posted a staggering .639/.500/.829 shooting line. Phoenix went 2-2 last week and is currently 26-20, the No. 7 seed in the West.
Two-time MVP Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, helped lead Milwaukee to a 3-1 record last week, averaging 29.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in 33.7 minutes. He posted a .603/.429/.600 shooting line.
Interestingly, Joel Embiid (70 points, 18 rebounds, five assists) and Luka Doncic (73 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists) had 70-plus points in a game last week, but neither player won the weekly award. Though they obviously had extremely strong individual cases, perhaps their team records (1-2 and 1-3, respectively) worked against them.
Embiid missed Saturday’s game at Denver and will be sidelined again on Monday in Portland, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
According to the NBA (Twitter links), the other nominees in the West were Harrison Barnes, Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaren Jackson Jr., Kawhi Leonard, D’Angelo Russell and Anfernee Simons, while Jalen Brunson, Embiid, Donovan Mitchell, Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam were nominated in the East.
luka not even being a nominee is insane to me
“Though they obviously had extremely strong individual cases, perhaps their team records (1-2 and 1-3, respectively) worked against them.”
first sentence, last paragraph.
Maybe Kendrick Perkins has a vote?
Just proved that again.
I was like “wow Booker averaged 42 for a week thats crazy” then I remembered Stephen Curry averaged 40 for like a month in 2021