Brandon Jennings, James Harden win NBA Player of Week awards

The Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Jennings and the Houston Rockets’ James Harden were named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively.  

Jennings guided the Bucks to a 2-0 record to start the season, a first for the team since the 2005-06 campaign.  Jennings led the league in assists (13.0 apg) and paced the conference in steals (4.0 spg), while finishing third on the team in scoring (17.0 ppg).  He recorded point/assist double-doubles in consecutive games for the second time in his career, hitting a game-winning three-pointer against the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 3.  His 13 assists in each game tied his career high.  

Harden, fresh off a trade from Oklahoma City, led Houston to a 2-1 mark to open the season while pacing the league in scoring (35.3 ppg). In his debut as a Rocket, Harden scored 37 points, dished out 12 assists, grabbed six rebounds, and collected four steals at Detroit on Oct. 31.

Harden joined Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Dwyane Wade as the only NBA players in the last 25 years to post at least 37 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, four steals and one block in a single game.

Moreover, he seemed to thrive in his new role as the Rockets number one option, as his 37 points was the third-highest point total for any Rocket player in his debut, while the 82 points he scored in the Rockets’ first two outings was the most by any NBA player in his first two games with a team in NBA history.

Other nominees were New York’s Carmelo Anthony, Miami’s Chris Bosh, Orlando’s Glen Davis, Golden State’s Carl Landry, Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul, San Antonio’s Tony Parker, Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao, and Charlotte’s Kemba Walker.

Here is a recap of the week for Jennings and Harden:


Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks 

Nov. 2 @ Boston: Scored 21 points, dished out 13 assists and collected six steals in a 99-88 road win over the Celtics.

Nov. 3 vs. Cleveland: Scored 13 points, including a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer and tallied 13 assists and collected four rebounds in a 105-102 win over the Cavaliers.


James Harden, Houston Rockets 

Oct. 31 @ Detroit: Scored 37 points, dished out 12 assists and tallied six rebounds and four steals in a 105-96 road win over the Pistons.

Nov. 2 @ Atlanta: Scored 45 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a 109-102 road victory over the Hawks.

Nov. 3 vs. Portland: Scored 24 points, collecting six rebounds and five assists in a 95-85 overtime loss to the Trail Blazers.  


By Staff of The Daily Sports Herald and news services