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The Atlanta Hawks' Joe Johnson 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. 12 through Sunday, Dec. 18.

Johnson averaged 25.3 points on .514 shooting, 7.0 assists and 6.3 rebounds to lead the Hawks to a 3-1 week with wins over Cleveland, New York and Denver. Johnson scored 33.0 points in his last two games of the week, including a career-high 36 points against New York, to lead Atlanta to its first winning week since the 2003-04 season.

Bryant led the Lakers to a 3-1 week, averaging 33.8 points on .517 shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals in matchups against Dallas, Memphis, Washington and Houston. Bryant registered his fourth and fifth 40-plus-point games of the season and was the game-high scorer in all four contests.

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

Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks:
- Dec. 13 @ Cleveland: Tallied team highs of 18 points and nine rebounds, while adding six assists in a 100-94 road win over the Cavs.
- Dec. 14 @ Philadelphia: Posted 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in a 106-101 loss to the Sixers.
- Dec. 16 vs. New York: Scored a career-high 36 points on 14-of-18 shooting, while posting five assists and four rebounds in a 122-111 victory over the Knicks.
- Dec. 18 vs. Denver: Recorded 30 points, nine assists and five rebounds in a season-high 50 minutes in a 110-107 overtime win over the Nuggets.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers:
- Dec. 12 @ Dallas: Recorded 43 points, five rebounds and a season-high four steals in a 109-106 road win over the Mavericks.
- Dec. 14 @ Memphis: Posted 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists in a 94-79 victory over the Grizzlies.
- Dec. 16 vs. Washington: Tallied 41 points, eight rebounds and four assists in a 97-91 home win over the Wizards.
- Dec. 18 vs. Houston: Had 24 points, six assists, two rebounds and two steals in a 76-74 loss to the Rockets.

Other nominees for Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Cleveland's LeBron James, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, Detroit's Chauncey Billups, Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal, Miami's Dwyane Wade, New Orleans' Chris Paul, Philadelphia's Chris Webber and Utah's Mehmet Okur.