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The NBA announced today that Chris Paul and Doc Rivers had been recognized as the Western Conference’s April Player and Coach of the Month, respectively.
Paul averaged 21.2 points, 9.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds in five games this month as he won his eighth Player of the Month award, the third time since he came to LA. This is also CP3’s first since 2012, having been recognized in both April and December of that calendar year. From an NBA press release:
The nine-time All-Star shot 54.4 percent from the field, 52.6 percent from three-point range and went 22-for-22 from the free throw line in April. On April 8, he finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a 98-87 road win against the San Antonio Spurs. Paul finished the season with averages of 18.1 points, 9.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.97 steals per game. The Clippers were 43-18 with Paul in the lineup this season.
This is the tenth time that Doc has received the honor, and his fourth win with the LA Clippers. From the release on NBA.com:
Behind Rivers, the Clippers went 5-0 in April to finish as the NBA’s only undefeated team for the month and extend their regular-season-ending winning streak to seven games. LA outscored its opponents by a league-best 16.4 points per game and led the NBA in field goal percentage (51.5).
This is also the third straight year where Doc has won Coach of the Month in April. The Clippers have always closed the regular season strong under his leadership, and the recognitions attest to that. They won 14 of their last 15 games in 2015 (going 7-0 in April), and 10 of their last 12 last year (6-1 in April). His other COTM with the Clippers came last January, as the Clippers went 11-3 without Blake Griffin.
Mike Malone (Nuggets), Steve Kerr (Warriors), Luke Walton (Lakers), Terry Stott (Trail Blazers), and Quin Snyder (Jazz) were also nominated for the coaching honor in the West. The Indiana Pacers had a clean sweep of the East, as Paul George and Nate McMillan were honored.