Suns’ Monty Williams named Western Conference Coach of the Month

The NBA announced Thursday that the Phoenix Suns’ Monty Williams was named Western Conference Coach of the Month for leading his team to an 11-3 record in March.

It’s the first time a Phoenix coach has earned such recognition since Jeff Hornacek was honored in December 2013 during a 48-win campaign. That was the last Suns team to finish a season with a winning record.

The Suns (33-14) currently have the second-best winning percentage in the NBA. They have now gone more than two months (Jan. 27) without losing two games in a row.

In March, Phoenix posted the NBA’s 11th-best offensive rating (115.8) and fifth-best defensive rating (108.2), while tying for the third-best net rating (7.7).

The Suns went 5-1 on the road last month to give them a league-best 16-6 road record for the season thus far. They finished the month on a four-game winning streak.

For Williams, the coach of the month award is the second of his career and first as Phoenix’s head coach. His first win came in January 2011 when he was coaching a Chris Paul-led New Orleans Hornets squad.

Nate McMillan, the Atlanta Hawks interim coach, won the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honor as Atlanta went 9-4 in March. There’s significance there tied with Williams also receiving the award this month.

McMillan was head coach with Portland when Williams got his start on an NBA bench as a Trail Blazers assistant coach from 2005-10.

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