The Orlando Magic?s Dwight Howard and the Los Angeles Lakers? Kobe Bryant today were named Eastern Conference and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in April.

Averaging 18.1 points on .559 shooting and a league-high 14.0 rebounds and recording an NBA-best seven double-doubles, Howard led the Magic to a 7-2 record and their best month of the season. In a 102-97 win over the Sixers on April 15, he registered a season-high 28 points and a career-high and NBA season-high 26 rebounds.

Behind Bryant?s averages of a league-high 41.6 points on .509 shooting, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals, the Lakers went 6-2 and won their last five games to secure a spot in the playoffs. Bryant scored more than 30 points in every contest and recorded his fifth and sixth 50-point games of the season. Bryant captured the 2005-06 scoring title with 35.4 points per game and became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1989-90 to amass 2,700 points in a single season with 2,832 total points.