WASHINGTON, April 22 (Xinhua) -- New York Knicks' shooting guard J.R. Smith, having formerly spent a season in China, won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award Monday.

The 27-year-old, who averaged 18.1 points to help the Knicks to the Atlantic Division title, received 484 points, getting 72 first-place votes, from a panel of 12 writers and broadcasters. He played 80 games, all from the bench, in this season.

Jamal Crawford of the Los Angeles Clippers finished second with 352 points, including 31 first-place votes, followed by Golden State's Jarrett Jack and Kevin Martin of Oklahoma City.

Smith returned to NBA from China in the middle of last season after having played the 2011-2012 season with CBA's Zhejiang team.