The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis today were named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in March and April.

James averaged an NBA-high 29.6 points to go with 9.5 assists (second in the East) and 9.4 rebounds (fifth in the East) in 22 games, earning Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors for the fourth time this season.  He previously won the award for October/November, December and February.

The 15-year veteran forward recorded six triple-doubles during the extended month, raising his season total to a career-high 18.  He also shot 53.6 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three-point range.  Behind James, the Cavaliers went 14-8 in March/April to reach 50 wins for the fourth consecutive season.  As the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2018 NBA Playoffs, Cleveland (50-32) will play host to the Indiana Pacers (48-34) in Game 1 of a first-round series on Sunday, April 15 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Davis won the Kia NBA Western Conference Player of the Month award for the second straight month.  He averaged 28.2 points (third in the NBA), 11.1 rebounds (seventh in the NBA), a league-leading 3.65 blocked shots and 1.85 steals (fourth in the West) in 20 games for the Pelicans, who went 13-7 when Davis played and 13-8 overall.

Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell have been named the NBA's Rookies of the Month for March and April.

Simmons won the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award for the third consecutive month and the fourth time this season.  In March and April, he helped the 76ers post an NBA-best 20-3 record by averaging 13.7 points (on 58.7 percent shooting from the field) to go with rookie highs of 10.1 assists and 9.3 rebounds in 23 games.  Behind Simmons, Philadelphia closed the regular season with a franchise-record 16-game winning streak – the longest winning streak to finish a season in NBA history.

Mitchell earned the Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month award for the fourth month in a row.  In March and April, the 6-3 guard averaged a rookie-high 22.8 points and added 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.52 steals in 21 games as Utah tied for the best record in the Western Conference at 17-4.  For the season, Mitchell averaged a team-high 20.5 points, making him the first rookie to lead a team with at least 45 wins in scoring since David Robinson with the San Antonio Spurs in 1989-90.

Ben Simmons and Nikola Jokic have been named the NBA's Players of the Week.

Jokic averaged 23.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game as the Nuggets went 3-0.

Simmons averaged 18.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game as the 76ers went 4-0.

Ben Simmons would unequivocally pick himself for Rookie of the Year despite the strong season from Donovan Mitchell.

"Who would I pick? Me, 100 percent," Simmons said.

"I think I have been playing solid all year," he continued. "If you look at the numbers, you will see. People who know the game know."

Simmons sat out the entire 16-17 season with a foot injury.

Simmons was asked which other rookies have caught his attention this season.

"None," Simmons responded promptly. "I want to be where the greats are. So, for me, I watch the guys like [Kevin Durant], [LeBron James], [Stephen] Curry, Russell [Westbrook]. Guys like that. That's where I want to be. I think for me, that's what I love to watch."

Russell Westbrook declined to endorse former teammate James Harden for MVP.

Westbrook beat out Harden to win MVP last season.

"I'm not sure," Westbrook said when asked if it was Harden's turn to win MVP. "Obviously he's having a good year, a great year. Their team has the best record in the NBA. I'm not sure."

Harden is the leading candidate for the award with LeBron James his most probable challenger.

"Nah, I don't have a pick," Westbrook said. "There's a lot of guys doing a lot of great things in the league. Honestly, I don't know kind of what you go off of, because MVP's kind of been picked differently every year. So it depends what criteria, what it is that you guys vote for. But obviously he's leading the charge at the moment."

Kevin Durant recently talked about how it was Harden's turn to win MVP.

"It's his turn. Just give it to him," said Durant of Harden. "It's his time to win it. They're playing on another level — 60-point triple-double, first seed in the West, in the league, playing great ball. It's his time."

Landry Nnoko has been named the 2017-18 NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year. He earned the honor in a vote by the league’s 26 head coaches and general managers.

Nnoko (6-10, 250, Clemson) ranked second in the NBA G League in rebounds per game (11.5) and fourth in blocked per game (2.06). He anchored a Drive defense that finished third in the league in opponents’ points per game (102.8), fourth in defensive rating (102.5) and fifth in opponents’ field goal percentage (44.5).
In his first NBA G League season, Nnoko averaged 14.7 points in 49 games and tied for second in double-doubles with 27. Nnoko helped the Drive to a franchise-best 29-21 record and the team’s first playoff berth. The fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, Grand Rapids lost to Raptors 905 in the first round of the postseason.

Nnoko played with the Detroit Pistons during the 2017 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and the 2017 NBA preseason. A four-year player at Clemson, Nnoko earned Atlantic Coast Conference All-Defensive Team honors as a senior in 2015-16.

Damian Lillard has been named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from March 26 to April 1. Victor Oladipo won the award in the Eastern Conference.

Lillard had the highest scoring average in the NBA for the week, averaging 28.3 points (46.9% FG, 25.9% 3-PT, 94.7% FT) to go with 6.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists. He was fourth in the Western Conference in total assists (26) for the week and tied for sixth in free throws made (18).

Oladipo averaged 26.0 points and 6.7 assists as Pacers went 3-0.