Pierce, Durant named NBA Players of the Month
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Boston's Paul Pierce and Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant have been named the NBA Players of the Month for games played in March.
Pierce, who led the Celtics to a 12-5 record during that span, averaged 22.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists in March. He also played his 1,000th game with the Celtics against Portland on March 9, becoming the 16th player in NBA history to play in 1,000 games for a single franchise.
Durant guided the Thunder to an 11-5 mark in the month to capture his second straight Player of the Month honor. In March, he ranked second in the league in scoring at 27.6 points per game. Durant also had averages of 8.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists. The highlight of his month was a 40-point, 17-rebound effort in a 149-140 double overtime win against Minnesota on March 23.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Other nominees for the awards were Atlanta's Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, Boston's Kevin Garnett, Minnesota's Kevin Love, New Jersey's Deron Williams, Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, and San Antonio's Tony Parker.