Small forward Luol Deng has sparked the Miami Heat to a five-game winning streak, and he becomes this week’s SuperSport’s African Player of the Week for games played from 29 February to 6 March.
Even though Denver Nuggets rookie Emmanuel Mudiay has helped his team to a 2-2 mark with averages of 18 points and 6 assists, Deng’s numbers as well as his performances spoke louder.
The South Sudan native opened the four-game cycle with a staggering performance, helping the Heat beat his former team Chicago Bulls 129-111 on Tuesday.
Deng was 3 for 3 from behind the arc, made 5 of 7 midrange shooting en route to 20 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 37 minutes.
On Thursday, Deng poured in 12 points, grabbed 4 rebounds as the Heat easy past the Phoenix Suns 108-92. 24 hours in Philadelphia, Deng added 13 points and 9 rebounds and the Heat overcame the 76ers for their fourth straight win. Two days later, in Miami, Deng recorded his seventh double-double this season (12 points and 14 rebounds) as Miami completed a 3-game series sweep over Philadelphia.
The 30-year-old forward, who played ten seasons with the Bulls, averaged 14 points in four games, and the Miami Heat moved to fourth-place in the Eastern Conference standings thanks to a 37-36 record.
via Supersport