Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard Named Players Of The Month For March, 2017

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have been named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in March.

The respective head coaches in Jason Kidd and Terry Stotts were also named as Coaches of the Month for March.

Antetokounmpo helped the Bucks finish an Eastern Conference-best 14-4 in March, the franchise’s first calendar month with at least 14 victories since going 16-2 in February 1971.  The 22-year-old from Greece averaged 22.4 points (ninth in the East), 8.4 rebounds (10th in the East), 4.8 assists, 1.78 blocked shots (fourth in the East) and 1.33 steals in 18 games. He also shot 51.4 percent from the field, his fifth straight month above 50.0. Antetokounmpo posted five point-rebound double-doubles during the month, including three that featured more than 30 points each. The All-Star forward capped the month by recording 28 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in a 108-105 overtime victory against the Detroit Pistons on March 31.     

The 22-year-old’s Player of the Month success makes him only the fourth Milwaukee Bucks winner in the award’s history, and the first since Michael Redd was honored for his play in January 2004. The only other Bucks winners were Sidney Moncrief in December 1981 and Terry Cummings in January 1985.

Behind Lillard, the Trail Blazers went an NBA-best 13-3 in March to surge into eighth place in the Western Conference. Lillard ranked third in the NBA in scoring (29.1 ppg) and tied for fourth in three-pointers made (55) to go with 6.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.44 steals in 16 games. The 26-year-old guard shot 48.3 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three-point range and 87.7 percent from the free throw line.  Lillard posted eight games with at least 30 points, including a season-high 49-point performance in a 115-104 road win over the Miami Heat on March 19. He matched a career high with nine three-pointers and hit 12-of-12 at the free throw line against Miami.    With eight games of 30-plus points in March, Lillard became the first player in Trail Blazers history to record eight games of 30-plus in a calendar month. His 465 points in March set a new franchise record for points scored in the month, passing Clyde Drexler’s 438 points in March of 1989. 

This is the first NBA Player of the Month award for Lillard, who joins Kelvin Ransey (March 1981), Drexler (November 1991) and LaMarcus Aldridge (February 2011) as Trail Blazers who have taken home the honor.