How good were the Hawks in the month of January?
The NBA gave the Hawks’ entire starting five the NBA Player of the Month award in the Eastern Conference, the league announced Wednesday. The Hawks were a perfect 17-0 in the month, the best calendar month in NBA history.
All five Hawks starters – Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, Paul Millsap and Al Horford – averaged in double figure scoring for the month. They averaged between 12.3 and 18.3 points. According to the league, it marked the first time in 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.
Millsap (18.3 points), Horford (17.1), Teague (16.6) and Korver (13.4) all started each of the 16 games they appeared in for the month. Carroll (12.3) started all 14 of his games.
It is the first time in history five teammates have shared the monthly award. It is only the second time ever that multiple players from one team have been honored. Dallas’ Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash shared the award in October/November 2002.
James Harden won the award in the Western Conference. He ranked third in the NBA in scoring (25.8) for the month, as he helped the Rockets to an 11-6 record.
Other nominees were the Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving, Pistons’ Greg Monroe, Warriors’ Klay Thompson, Clippers’ Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul, Grizzlies’ Zach Randolph, Suns’ Eric Bledsoe and Trail Blazers’ LaMarcus Aldridge.
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