Houston's James Harden wins NBA MVP award

Houston Rockets point guard James Harden was crowned Most Valuable Player at the 2018 NBA Awards on Monday. The 28-year-old beat the Cleveland Cavaliers' four-time MVP Lebron James and the New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis to the prestigious award. Harden scored an average of 30.4 points per game last season, adding 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game.

This is the first time Harden has claimed the MVP award, and he is the third Rockets player to win it. Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons was named the NBA's rookie of the year, while Utah jazz centre Rudy Gobert won the defensive player of the year award. Dwane Casey was crowned coach of the year after guiding the Toronto Raptors to first place in the Eastern Conference. However, he was sacked by the Raptors in May following their second consecutive second-round loss to the Cavs.