Kobe, Joe Johnson earn NBA weekly honors Biography Bryant earned the Western Conference award after averaging 33.8 points with 5.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest last week, helping the Lakers to a 3-1 record. Twice Bryant reached the 40-point plateau, notching 43 points on December 12 at Dallas and 41 on December 16 against Washington. Johnson captured the Eastern Conference honor with 25.3 points, 7.0 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game, as the Hawks finished the week with a 3-1 mark. On December 16, Johnson scored a career-high 36 points in a 122-111 win over the New York Knicks, then followed it up with a 30-point effort in an overtime victory over Denver two nights later. Other nominees for the weekly award included Cleveland’s LeBron James, Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, Detroit’s Chauncey Billups, Indiana’s Jermaine O’Neal, Miami’s Dwyane Wade, New Orleans’ Chris Paul, Philadelphia’s Chris Webber and Utah’s Mehmet Okur.
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