The New Jersey Nets' Vince Carter and the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Dec. 19 through Sunday, Dec. 25.
Carter averaged 39.3 points on .485 shooting, 6.0 assists and 7.3 rebounds to lead the Nets to a 3-0 week with wins over the Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando and Miami. Carter tied his career-high with 51 points in the Nets' 95-88 win at Miami.
Bryant led the Lakers to a 2-1 week, averaging 40.0 points on .468 shooting, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in matchups against Dallas, Orlando and Miami. Bryant scored an NBA season-high 62 points against the Mavericks in only 33 minutes. Since 1960, only three other NBA players scored 60-plus points in fewer than 40 minutes: Jerry West (63 points in 39 minutes on Jan. 17, 1962), George Gervin (63 points in 33 minutes on April 9, 1978) and Karl Malone (61 points in 33 minutes on Jan. 27, 1990). Additionally, Bryant's 62 points were the most that any player has scored in the league in over 11 years. He also registered his fifteenth and sixteenth 30-plus-point games of the season.