Author: Monojit Mandal
The NBA Players of the Week for Week 25 are Kawhi Leonard and Bobby Portis Jr. Leonard, a wonderful player for the Los Angeles Clippers, has won the award seven times, the second time with the Clippers. He led the Clippers to a 3-0 record, also averaging 25.7 points, 10.0 classic rebounds and 4.7 assists in each game, as well as shooting 49.1% from the field, 38.9% from 3-point range and 84.2% from the line.
During the week, Leonard broke the 4,000 rebound mark against the LA Lakers on April 5, when he scored 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists. On April 9, he scored 25 points, 15 rebounds and also six assists in 36 minutes against Phoenix. He is also one of only two players this season to score at least 20 points per game, shooting 50% or more from the field and 40% or more from three.
Portis Jr., who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, was named Player of the Week for the first time in his career. In the last week of the official season, he averaged 20.7 points and 12.3 rebounds, shooting 44.7% from the field and 59.1% from three. He scored 27 points, hit six three-pointers (a season best), and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Bucks secure first place in the more prestigious Eastern Conference with a win against the Bulls on Wednesday. He had already scored 19 points and 20 rebounds in the win over the Wizards earlier in the week.
With 20 rebounds on Tuesday and 27 points on Wednesday, Portis Jr. recorded his second-highest total of the season. In addition, he made five or more three-point baskets in consecutive games for the first time in his career, with five on Tuesday and six on Wednesday.
Every Monday, the NBA players of the week are announced (valid from the Monday before to Sunday). The NBA is a professional basketball league in North America with 30 franchises, 29 in the USA and 1 in Canada. It is considered the world’s premier men’s professional basketball association, and one of the leading non-recreational sports associations in the US states and Canada.