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The New Jersey Nets’ Vince Carter and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Dec. 19 through Sunday, Dec. 25.

Carter averaged 39.3 points on .485 shooting, 6.0 assists and 7.3 rebounds to lead the Nets to a 3-0 week with wins over the Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando and Miami. Carter tied his career-high with 51 points in the Nets 95-88 win at Miami.

Bryant led the Lakers to a 2-1 week, averaging 40.0 points on .468 shooting, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in matchups against Dallas, Orlando and Miami. Bryant scored an NBA season-high 62 points against the Mavericks in only 33 minutes. Since 1960, only three other NBA players scored 60-plus points in fewer than 40 minutes: Jerry West (63 points in 39 minutes on Jan. 17, 1962), George Gervin (63 points in 33 minutes on April 9, 1978) and Karl Malone (61 points in 33 minutes on Jan. 27, 1990). Additionally, Bryant’s 62 points were the most that any player has scored in the league in over 11 years. He also registered his fifteenth and sixteenth 30-plus-point games of the season.

Here is a closer look at the week for Carter and Bryant:

Vince Carter New Jersey Nets:
- Dec. 20 vs. Los Angeles Clippers: Led all scorers with a game high 35 points in a 99-85 win over the Clippers.
- Dec. 21 @ Orlando: Posted 32 points, five assists, seven rebounds and was a perfect 14 of 14 from the free-throw line in a 96-85 win over the Magic.
- Dec. 23 @ Miami: Tied his career high with 51 points and posted four assists and eight rebounds in a 95-88 victory over the Heat.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers:
- Dec. 20 vs. Dallas: Recorded a career-high 62 points, eight rebounds and three steals in the Lakers 112-90 win over the Mavericks. Dec. 23 @ Orlando: Posted 21 points and nine assists in a 104-88 victory over the Magic.
- Dec. 25 @ Miami: Tallied 37 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a 97-92 loss to the Heat.

Other nominees for Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Cleveland’s LeBron James, Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, Detroit’s Ben Wallace, Milwaukee’s Andrew Bogut, Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson, and Washington’s Gilbert Arenas.