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Knicks' J.R. Smith wins Kia Sixth Man Award

Official Release
Posted Apr 22, 2013 3;:09 PM - Updated Apr 23, 2013 11;:20 AM

NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks' J.R. Smith is the winner of the 2012-13 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award as the league's best player in a reserve role, the NBA announced Monday. Smith, who came off the bench in all 80 games in which he appeared, led all reserves in scoring, averaging 18.1 points. Additionally, Smith contributed 5.3 rpg, 2.7 apg and 1.3 spg in 33.5 minutes per game to a Knicks squad that went 54-28 and earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Smith received 484 of a possible 1,084 points, including 72 first-place votes, from a panel of 121 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Jamal Crawford of the Los Angeles Clippers finished second with 352 points (31 first-place votes). Jarrett Jack of the Golden State Warriors finished third with 170 points (14 first-place votes).

In order to be eligible for this award, players had to have come off the bench in more games than they started. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Smith, who led reserves in 30-point (seven) and 20-point games (29), became the first player with four 30-point games off bench in same month (March) since Ricky Pierce had four in November of 1990. He earned Player of the Week honors for games played March 25-31, leading the Knicks to a 4-0 record with averages of 29.8 points (second in the league), 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals. In Smith's 80 games, the Knicks enjoyed a +5.3 score differential with him on the court compared with +1.9 when he was on the bench.

As part of its support of the Sixth Man Award, Kia Motors America (KMA) will donate a new 2014 Kia Sorento LX CUV to the J.R. Smith Youth Foundation, which provides opportunities and support for young people through education, sports, the Arts and other beneficial activities through scholarships, grants and programs designed to further those goals. Kia Motors will present a Sorento to the charity of choice of each of five 2012-13 season-end award winners as part of "The Kia NBA Performance Awards." Following this season, Kia Motors will have donated a total of 26 new vehicles to charitable organizations since its support of the NBA's prestigious season-end honors began in 2008.

The 2012-13 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award is part of a series of on-court performance awards called "The Kia NBA Performance Awards." The series, currently in its sixth season, is part of a multiyear marketing partnership between KMA and the NBA, and includes five of the league's most prestigious year-end honors: Most Valuable Player Award, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man Award, Most Improved Player Award, and Rookie of the Year. For the first time, the series also included the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month during the regular season. Kia Motors is the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA and the Kia Optima is the league's Official Vehicle. For more information on "The Kia NBA Performance Awards" visit NBA.com/Awards.

Here are the voting results for the 2012-13 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.

2012-13 Kia Sixth Man Award voting
Player Team 1st place votes (5 pts) 2nd place votes (3 pts) 3rd place votes (1 pt) Total points
J.R. Smith Knicks 72 39 7 484
Jamal Crawford Clippers 31 59 20 352
Jarrett Jack Warriors 14 15 55 170
Kevin Martin Thunder 2 3 12 31
Ryan Anderson Pelicans 1 1 3 11
Andre Miller Nuggets -- -- 7 7
Jordan Crawford Celtics 1 -- -- 5
Manu Ginobili Spurs -- 1 1 4
Carl Landry Warriors -- 1 1 4
Nate Robinson Bulls -- -- 4 4
Corey Brewer Nuggets -- 1 1 4
Ramon Sessions Bobcats -- -- 2 2
Shane Battier Heat -- -- 2 2
Luke Babbitt Blazers -- -- 1 1
Gordon Hayward Jazz -- -- 1 1
Vince Carter Mavericks -- -- 1 1
J.J. Redick Bucks -- -- 1 1

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