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WASHINGTON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Miami Heat's Hassan Whiteside and the Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week on Monday.
Whiteside led the Heat to a 2-1 week. He finished second in the East in rebounding (13.7 rpg) and 11th in scoring (20.0 ppg) while shooting an NBA-best 73.0 percent from the field.
The 27-year-old center also paced the East in blocked shots (2.67 bpg) and extended his streak with a block to a season-high 26 straight games. On March 17, with 14 rebounds in a 123-105 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Whiteside became only the second player in team history to grab 900 rebounds in a season, joining Rony Seikaly (1991-92).
Lillard helped the Trail Blazers to a 3-1 week. He paced the league in scoring (35.3 ppg) and added 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 59.4 percent from three-point range. On March 19, the 26-year-old guard closed the week by scoring a season-high 49 points and matching a career-high with nine three-pointers in a 115-104 win over the Heat.
