Week 19 NBA MVP race: Kawhi Leonard's campaign put on hold

USA TODAY Sports' top five candidates for the 2016-17 NBA MVP award (from Sunday, March 5 through Saturday, March 11).

Also receiving votes: Washington Wizards' John Wall

► Power rankings: Spurs dethrone Warriors, Wizards enter top five

► Rookie of the Year race: Saric, Brogdon take top spots

5. Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics (41-25)

Season statistics: 29.3 points, 6.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 45.9% shooting

The Celtics struggled this week, losing three games (Suns, Clippers and Nuggets) while winning just one (Golden State). In the loss to Phoenix, Thomas scored 35 points and tallied five assists, but missed a late-game free throw and turned the ball over on Boston's final possession, which led to a game-winning three-pointer from Suns guard Tyler Ulis. Thomas scored 32 points (on 10-of-19 shooting) the next night, but the Celtics fell to the Clippers, 102-116, and Thomas blamed "everybody" in the locker room, including himself. In Wednesday night's win over the Warriors at Oracle Arena, Thomas scored 25, and was serenaded by "MVP" chants.

4. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (51-14)

Season statistics: 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.9 steals, 48.6% shooting

Leonard's MVP campaign — which reached new heights on Monday after his last-minute three-pointer and block pushed the Spurs past the Rockets — was put on hold when he left Thursday night's game against the Thunder after taking a hit to the head. On Friday, it was announced that Leonard has entered the league's concussion protocol, which kept him out of Saturday night's should-have-been marquee matchup with Golden State. Per NBA rules, Leonard must be free of concussion-like symptoms and complete a series of tests (stationary bike, jogging, agility work, non-contact drills) before being cleared to return.

3. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (43-21)

Season statistics: 26 points, 8.9 assists, 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 53.9% shooting

James started off the week with a 30-point, 17-rebound, six-assist outing in a loss to the Heat, followed by two straight triple-doubles — 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in a loss to the Pistons and 24 points, 13 assist and 12 rebounds in a win over the Magic. He has nine triple-doubles on the season, a career best, and is averaging 29.8 points (on 51.9% shooting), 2.6 three-pointers (on 40.6% shooting), 13.6 rebounds and 9.4 assists in March.

2. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (37-29)

Season statistics: 31.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 1.6 steals, 42% shooting

It was another week of stat-stuffing performances for Westbrook, who recorded his 31st and 32nd triple-doubles of the season, passing Wilt Chamberlain for the second-most single-season triple-doubles in NBA history, which trails only Oscar Robertson (41). He scored a career-high 58 points (on 21-of-39 shooting) in a loss to Portland on Tuesday, though he missed a couple of late-game shots that could have put the Thunder on top. As the playoff race heats up, the question still remains: With the Thunder No. 6 in the West, will Westbrook's record-breaking season be enough in the eyes of the MVP voters?

1. James Harden, Houston Rockets (45-21)

Season statistics: 28.9 points, 11.2 assists, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 44.2% shooting

In three games (two of which were losses) this week, Harden averaged 31 points (on 50% shooting), 10.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals. He also averaged 6.3 turnovers and shot 34.6% from beyond the arc, including an 0-for-8 outing against Utah on Wednesday. He put together his best performance of the week in Monday's loss to the Spurs, scoring 39 points (on 13-of-20 shooting) and tallying 12 assists, but had his potential game-tying layup blocked by Kawhi Leonard.

List of voters: USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt, Sam Amick, Kevin Spain, AJ Neuharth-Keusch and Michael Singer; The Arizona Republic's Doug Haller; The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery; Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis; Indianapolis Star's Nate Taylor; The (Bergen) Record's Steve Popper; HoopsHype.com's Jorge Sierra and Raul Barrigon; USA TODAY Sports Weekly's Howard Megdal.