The NBA announced its February KIA Players of the Month for the Eastern and Western Conferences Thursday. After four stellar weeks of play, the Chicago Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan earned the honor for the East, while the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Dončić was recognized in the West.
Eastern Conference – DeMar DeRozan
In a resurrection type of season for DeRozan, the 13-year veteran used February to catapult himself into the MVP discussion.
DeRozan has been reminding hoop fans of his extensive ability all season long, leading Chicago and currently ranking tied for fourth in the NBA in scoring with 28.1 points per game while coming through in clutch moments time and time again.
He took that to another level in February, leading Chicago to an 8-5 record while averaging 34.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game in the month.
On February 24, DeRozan dropped 37 points in a win against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks, his new NBA-record eighth straight game of scoring 35 points while shooting 50% from the field.
“It’s history. We’re witnessing history,” said teammate Ayo Dosunmu. “What we are witnessing is something that people are going to remember for a long time. It’s one of those things where it’s going to be a record for a long time.”
When the streak ended, DeRozan was surprisingly content, saying that he was glad it was over with so he could stop hearing about it. Chicago (39-23) is currently the No. 2 seed in the East standings.
Western Conference – Luka Dončić
As if DeRozan’s February stat line wasn’t shocking enough, Dončić outdid him in the month by averaging 34.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game for Dallas. The 23-year-old all-star ranked No. 2 in scoring for the month while ranking No. 18 in rebounding and No. 7 in assists.
Dallas’s newest international superstar also added a new career-high of 51 points to his resume in a 112-105 win against the LA Clippers on February 10. However, there was more to come; just three days later, Doncic recorded 45 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists despite a 99-97 loss to the Clippers.
Dončićs wild February fueled a 7-3 record for Dallas (37-25), who is now No. 5 in the Western Conference standings.
When asked about his play in February, Dončić kept a level head and considered the ebbs and flows of basketball.
“I don’t know, man. I just enjoy playing basketball,” he said. “Sometimes you’re going to play worse. Sometimes you’re going to play better. So, I think these 10, 15 games have been better.”
