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WASHINGTON, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The Toronto Raptors' DeMar DeRozan and the Houston Rockets' James Harden were named NBA players of the week on Monday night local time.
DeRozan led the Raptors to a 3-0 week. He paced the league in scoring (33.3 ppg) and added 5.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals as Toronto extended their winning streak to five and clinched a playoff berth for the fourth straight season. On March 21, DeRozan had 42 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in a 122-120 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls. He followed that up with 40 points and six rebounds in a 101-84 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on March 25, his seventh 40-point performance of the season.
Harden helped the Rockets to a 3-0 week behind averages of 33.0 points (tied for first in the West) and a league-high 13.3 assists. On March 20, he hit the game-winning layup with 2.4 seconds left to give the Rockets a 125-124 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Harden finished the game with 39 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and four steals. On March 24, he tied a season-high with 17 assists and added 38 points in a 117-107 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
