In the NBA, the players of the week of the Eastern as well as Western Conference have been declared. In the Eastern Conference, Jameer Nelson of Orlando Magic has been selected. In the Western Conference, Chris Paul of New Orleans Hornets has been chosen. For this selection, the games which were played from 12th January 2009 (Monday) to 18th January 2009 (Sunday) were taken into consideration.
Nelson’s performance
Orlando Magic had a 3-0 week largely due to the contribution of Jameer Nelson who averaged 1.7 steals, 2.7 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 24.7 points per game. In the 2008-09 season, this is the second time that he has been selected as the Player of the Week. On 13th January 2009, Orlando Magic defeated Sacramento and in this match Jameer went 5 for 5 from 3 point range. Orlando exhibited 23 three pointers in this game which is a NBA record. On 16th January 2009, Orlando defeated the Lakers by 109-103. In this match, Jameer contributed 28 points out of which 15 points were scored in the fourth quarter.
Paul’s performance
Chris Paul had an average of 2.3 steals, 6.8 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 24.3 points per game. In this season, this is the third occasion when he has been chosen as the Player of the Week. On 14th January 2009, New Orleans defeated Dallas by 104-97. In this game, Paul displayed 10 rebounds, 11 assists and 33 points. This was his fourth triple double in this season. On 16th January 2009, he reached the 2500 assists milestone of his career. In the history of NBA, he is the second fastest player to reach this milestone.