Al Jefferson named Western Conference Player of the Week

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson was named Western Conference Player of the Week, the NBA announced Monday, after leading the Jazz to a 4-0 record and getting them back into the No. 8 seed in the playoff race.

Jefferson became the seventh Jazz player to win the award multiple times. He was also named Western Conference Player of the Week on April 12, 2012. In almost nine years in the NBA, Jefferson has been named a Player of the Week five times, including twice with the Minnesota Timberwolves and once with Boston.

J.R. Smith of the New York Knicks won the award in the East.

Jefferson averaged 19.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 steal in wins over the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and Brooklyn Nets. Through 74 games, Jefferson averages 17.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

The Jazz play Monday against the Trail Blazers as they look to extend their lead over the Los Angeles Lakers. Both the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks are off until Tuesday, when they play each other in Los Angeles.

— Bill Oram