Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz, who averaged 26.4 points a game, is the NBA's player of the week for the period ended Dec. 18.
Malone, who led the Jazz to a 5-0 record as Utah set a franchise record with eightstraight road wins, also averaged nine rebounds and three assists. He shot .569 (58-for-102) from the field and .800 (16-for-20) from the foul line.The 10th-year pro is fifth in scoring (25.6).
Malone's week included a 31-point, eight-rebound performance in Utah's 103-95 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, and 30 points and 14 rebounds in a 97-89 win over the Chicago Bulls.
Malone closed out the week on Sunday with 27 points, four rebounds and four steals as Utah defeated Milwaukee 101-98. Malone also moved past Bernard King into 19th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 19,665 points.