The @ATLHawks Starting Five & @JHarden13 of the @HoustonRockets named @Kia NBA Players of the Month for January! pic.twitter.com/Z3W41LTHkf
— NBA (@NBA) February 5, 2015
For the first time since the 2010-2011 Miami Heat, there are more than 2 Players selected for the Eastern Conference Players of The Month. In fact, the Atlanta Hawks starting 5 being named Eastern Conference Players of the Month is the first time it has ever happened. James Harden has achieved the honors for the Western Conference.
The following from the NBA.com.
The Atlanta Hawks’ starting five and the Houston Rockets’ James Harden on Wednesday were named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in January.
The Hawks finished the best calendar month in NBA history with a 17-0 record, outscoring opponents by an average of 11.9 points and showing the offensive balance that has defined their surge to the top of the East. All five Atlanta starters averaged double figures in scoring, ranging from 12.3 points to 18.3 points. This marks the first time in league history that a team has gone undefeated in a month with at least 10 victories and had all five starters average double digits but none at 20-plus points. Paul Millsap (18.3 ppg in January), Al Horford (17.1 ppg), Jeff Teague (16.6 ppg) and Kyle Korver (13.4 ppg) all started each of the 16 games they appeared in for the month, and DeMarre Carroll (12.3 ppg) started all 14 of his games. Millsap paced the Hawks in rebounding (8.0 rpg), Teague led them in assists (8.5 apg) and steals (1.81 spg), Horford ranked first in blocks (1.38 bpg) and Korver was the team leader in three-point percentage (56.7).
Harden ranked third in the NBA in scoring (25.8 ppg) for the month, as he helped the Rockets to an 11-6 record. Harden added 6.7 apg (fifth in the West) and 2.18 steals (third in the West), and shot 42.6 percent from three-point range. Harden posted three point-assist double-doubles, and scored 30-or-more points on seven occasions. On Jan. 25, Harden showed off his versatility with 37 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals during a 99-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.
The 2015 Atlanta Hawks join the Miami Heat’s LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in December 2010, Dallas Mavericks’ Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash in December 2002, Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker in 2001 as the only time multiple players from the same team won the award.
