体坛英语新闻：Washington's Wall and Houston's Harden named NBA Players of Month

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Washington Wizards' John Wall and the Houston Rockets' James Harden were named as the respective NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month on Tuesday.

Wall led the Eastern Conference in assists (10.7 apg) and steals (2.67 spg) and ranked fifth in scoring (24.5 ppg) as the Wizards posted their first 10-win month since December 2014. He was one of only three players to average a point-assist double-double in December, joining Harden and the LA Clippers' Chris Paul. Wall scored a career-high 52 points in a 124-116 loss to the Orlando Magic on Dec. 6. He shot 49.1 percent from the field and 81.4 percent from the free throw line for the month.

Harden led the league in assists (12.0 apg) and ranked fourth in scoring (28.3 ppg) as the Rockets (15-2) tied a franchise record for wins in a month and outscored their opponents by an average of 12.9 points per game. He became the first player in NBA history with at least 50 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a game when he scored a career-high 53 points, equaled a career best 17 assists and grabbed a Rockets-season-high 16 rebounds in a 129-122 victory over the New York Knicks on Dec. 31.