Knicks’ Smith Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week

Knicks guard J.R. Smith was rewarded for his hot week on Monday when he was named the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

Smith led the Knicks to a 4-0 week which included two wins over the Boston Celtics and a win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Smith averaged 29.8 points (second in the league), 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals.

He tallied three consecutive 30-plus point performances off the bench to open the week, including a season-high 37 on March 29 during a 111-102 win over the Charlotte Bobcats. The last NBA player to score 30-or-more off the bench in three consecutive games was the Milwaukee Bucks’ Ricky Pierce in 1990.

“He’s dialed in right now and that’s the J.R. we all know about,” Carmelo Anthony said last week. “That’s the J.R. we look for…We just hoping that he keep it dialed in right now because what he’s doing right now he’s putting this team over the top.”

Written by Adam Zagoria

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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.