ORLANDO - Orlando Magic star center Dwight Howard has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week by the NBA.

Carmelo Anthony

Dwight Howard

Howard averaged 18.5 points and 14.1 rebounds for the week of Nov. 20-26 while leading the Magic to a 3-1 record. The 6-foot-11, 268-pound Howard, 20, registered double digits in points and rebounds in all four of the games, three of them wins against Eastern Conference foes.

Howard's finest game last week came in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies when he scored 24 points and grabbed 23 rebounds. He missed out on his bid to become the first player in 15 years to post 20 points and 20 rebounds in three consecutive games when he had 16 points and 11 rebounds against Indiana.

Howard powered the Magic's defeat of rival Miami on Friday in South Florida, scoring 23 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. And on Saturday he had 11 points and 11 rebounds as Orlando breezed past Atlanta.

Howard's improved play is a big reason why the Magic go into Monday night's game in Utah with a 10-4 record, tops in the Eastern Conference. Orlando leads the Southeast Division by 3? games and is off to its best start (barring the 1998 lockout season) since 1995-96.

Howard leads the NBA in rebounds with 13.5 a game.

It's the 22nd time a Magic player has won the NBA¡¯s Player of the Week honor. The last to do so was Grant Hill in November of 2004. Howard won the NBA¡¯s Player of the Month award for April of 2006.

Denver's Carmelo Anthony was named the Western Conference's Player of the Week after averaging 31.3 points as the Nuggets went 4-0 last week.