Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant and Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap have been named the Players of the Week for Jan. 20-26, the league announced on Monday.
NBA news roundup: Kevin Durant, Paul Millsap named Players of the Week
Durant and Millsap are acknowledged for their strong play, plus Phoenix could use Emeka Okafor’s insured contract to get stronger before the trade deadline.
Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Durant started the week scoring 46 points against the Portland Trail Blazers and finished it with a 32-point, 14-rebound, 10-assist triple-double against the Philadelphia 76ers. He averaged 38 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists over three games this week, which was good enough to earn him this distinction despite sitting out the Thunder's win over the Boston Celtics on Friday.
Millsap, like Durant, is making up for the absence of an injured star. Al Horford might not be as big a name as Russell Westbrook, but his injury left the Hawks with a huge hole in the frontcourt and Millsap has stepped up as the clear No. 1 option. This past week, he averaged 21.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.0 blocks in four games. The Hawks went 3-1 in that stretch, including a huge win over the Miami Heat in which Millsap posted 26 points, seven rebounds and four assists on 8-for-13 shooting. His all-around week was enough for him to beat out Carmelo Anthony and his 62-point game.
Emeka Okafor’s insured contract an asset for Phoenix
An insurance policy will cover 80 percent of Emeka Okafor's contract for the rest of the season, making him a valuable trade chip for the Phoenix Suns, via Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:
Once Phoenix reached the midway point of its season on Wednesday with Okafor still sidelined with a neck injury, an insurance policy began to take over payment on 80 percent of the remaining $14.4 million on his 2013-14 contract, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Whoever deals for Okafor before the trade deadline will receive an insurance payout of $5.7 million - roughly $141,000 per game.
The Suns are looking to move Okafor and bolster their roster for a playoff run, according to Wojnarowski. They are currently seventh in the West with a 25-18 record, but are without guard Eric Bledsoe, who is recovering from knee surgery.
Toronto doesn’t want to lose Kyle Lowry for nothing
The Toronto Raptors could still trade point guard Kyle Lowry despite the fact he's playing like an All-Star, according to ESPN's Marc Stein:
Trade rumble: Sense around league remains Toronto more likely to trade Kyle Lowry than keep him to prevent losing asset for nothing. But ...
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) January 27, 2014 Issue here hasn't changed: No team out there willing YET to meet Raps' asking price for PG who, nice as he's playin, can bolt in free agency
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) January 27, 2014 Here’s the Raptors’ situation: They’re fighting for the No. 3 spot in the East and they’re also trying to set themselves up for success down the road. Trading their best player would make the former almost impossible and losing him for nothing would make the latter much, much more difficult. Toronto needs to get a read on if Lowry wants to come back to the team, and how much money he will command if so. Fortunately for the Raptors, there aren’t exactly a ton of teams with cap space this summer that need a new starting point guard.
Carmelo Anthony's wife, La La, made an appearance on Bravo TV and said that she "definitely" thinks he will stay where he is when he hits free agency, via ESPN New York. She added that she can live anywhere and just wants her husband to be happy.
Anthony has said he will opt out of his contract this summer to become a free agent, and that his main motivating factor is being in a position to win a title. He has denied rumors that he is planning to leave the Knicks.
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash was supposed to return to practice on Monday, but he tweaked his back in the morning and had to sit out. It's unrelated to the major back issue that has sidelined Nash for all but six games this season, and he is hoping to practice on Thursday, via the team.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Xavier Henry had an MRI on Monday and there was no improvement in the bone bruise in his knee, so he will be sidelined for the next week, via Janis Carr of the OC Register. Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters last Friday that he expected Henry would be out for 10-14 days, so nothing has really changed.
Shawne Williams signs with D-Fenders
The Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League have claimed forward Shawne Williams, the team announced on Monday. Williams started 11 games for the Lakers this season and averaged 5.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 32 games. Williams was waived by the Lakers in early January before his contract could become guaranteed for the remainder of the season.
Shelvin Mack, Kevin Martin given flop warnings
Shelvin Mack of the Atlanta Hawks and Kevin Martin of the Minnesota Timberwolves were both given flop warnings on Monday, the NBA announced.
Mack's infraction occurred during the first quarter of the Hawks' game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday:
Martin’s was a rarely-punished offensive flop, and it occurred in the fourth quarter of Minnesota’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday:
A second violation from either of them would result in a $5,000 fine.
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