Cav's James and OKC's Westbrook named NBA players of the month

The Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James and the Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook Thursday were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month.

The Cavaliers were 9-1 with James in the lineup in February (9-2 overall). The 32-year-old forward averaged 25.9 points (third in the East), 10.6 assists (second in the East) and 7.2 rebounds. James scored at least 20 points in eight of his 10 games and dished out 10 or more assists six times on his way to averaging the most assists for any month in his 14-year career. In a 111-104 win over the New York Knicks on Feb. 4, James became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 28,000 points.

Westbrook led the Thunder to a 7-4 month. He averaged a triple-double of 33.4 points (first in the NBA), 11.0 rebounds (tied for fifth in the West) and 10.0 assists (fifth in the NBA). The 28-year-old guard posted six triple-doubles to improve his league-leading total to 30. Oscar Robertson (41 in 1961-62) and Wilt Chamberlain (31 in 1967-68) are the only players to record more triple-doubles in a season than Westbrook. In a 110-93 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 24, Westbrook became the third player in the last 40 years to had at least 17 points, 17 rebounds and 17 assists in a game, joining Magic Johnson (1989) and Rajon Rondo (2012). Endit