Around the Association: Bulls Take a Loss, Morant Outduels Curry, Mavs Outlast Spurs

This article is part of our NBA Daily Recap series.

Welcome to Around the Association!  Five days per week (Monday through Friday), this article will serve as a comprehensive recap of the previous night's NBA action, taking you through all of the biggest performances, notable box scores, injury updates and any other fantasy-relevant headlines from around the league.

It was an exciting six-game slate Thursday night -- here is everything you need to know:

Nightly Notables

Morant and Steph duel it out in overtime

• Just a few months ago, the Grizzlies were able to take down the Warriors on the road in the Play-In Tournament. Memphis took down Golden State yet again at home Thursday. Ja Morant continued his amazing start to the season, finishing with 30 points (11-22 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 6-6 FT) to go with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals in 41 minutes. The third-year-pro is averaging 30.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game while shooting 40.6 percent from beyond the arc. Morant is the key reason the Grizzlies have started the season 3-2 and is my favorite dark-horse MVP bet of the year
• Despite the loss, Stephen Curry was ridiculous against Memphis. The two-time MVP scored 36 points (11-29 FG, 7-20 3Pt, 7-7 FT)  -- all of which came in the first three quarters of the game -- while recording eight assists and seven rebounds in 40 minutes. Curry had an opportunity to win the game at the buzzer in regulation but came up just short. The two-time MVP off to another incredible season, averaging 30.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game throughout his first five appearances.

Knicks give Bulls their first loss

• The Chicago Bulls came into the game with a 4-0 record, but the Knicks were able to hand the Bulls their first defeat of the year. New York led throughout much of the game, but the Bulls were able to make things interesting at the end. After trailing by 11 points with 1:44 left on the clock, Chicago ended up losing by just one point after an improbable comeback that fell just short.

• It was a balanced effort from the Knicks in the win. Kemba Walker scored a team-high 21 points (7-12 FG, 5-6 3 Pt, 2-3 FT) while RJ Barrett put in a season-high 20 of his own points (8-15 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT) as well. Julius Randle continued his strong start of the year with a near-triple-double, finishing with 13 points (3-11 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 7-10 FT), 16 rebounds and nine assists in 34 minutes.
• The Bulls were led by their own trio of stars. Playing through a torn ligament in his thumb, Zach LaVine led the way with 25 points (7-17 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 9-9 FT), six rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes. Even with the entirely revamped roster, the All-Star guard is scoring 25.4 points per game this season. Nikola Vucevic scored 22 points (8-13 FG, 3-5 3PT, 3-4 FT) to go with eight rebounds, six assists while DeMar DeRozan put in 20 points (7-18 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT) in the defeat as well.

Wild matchup in the Lone Star State

• About seven minutes into the matchup between Dallas and San Antonio, the Spurs led 23-3. However, halfway through the second quarter, the Mavericks led 30-29. In a game that came down to the wire, Dallas ended up winning 104-99. 
  • Luka Doncic was phenomenal in the victory, finishing with 25 points (11-19 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 0-3 FT), five assists, three rebounds, one block and seven turnovers. The young star just makes it look easy. Jalen Brunson was a key factor in the team's win, putting up 19 points (8-15 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 0-2 FT) to go with seven rebounds and five assists off the bench. Brunson continues to look really good in the early going
• Dejounte Murray once again stuffed the stat sheet for the Spurs. The sixth-year-pro finished with 23 points (10-17 FG, 3-5 3Pt), 10 rebounds, eight assists, one steal and two turnovers in 35 minutes during the defeat. Murray is off to a fantastic start this season, averaging 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. His rebounding and steals upside is particularly valuable for fantasy managers.

Best and Worst of the Night

• Stud of the Night: Stephen Curry -- 36 points (11-29 FG, 7-20 3Pt, 7-7 FT), eight assists, seven rebounds, one steal and five turnovers in 40 minutes.
• Dud of the Night: Lonzo Ball -- Six points (2-8 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), six rebounds, four assists, one block and two turnovers in 33 minutes.
• Rookie of the Night: Alperen Sengun: 14 points (5-12 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five rebounds, three steals and one turnover.

Quick Hitters

• Bradley Beal dominated the Hawks as he led the Wizards to a 122-111 win. The All-Star guard finished with a season-high 27 points (11-26 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), eight rebounds, eight assists, one block and one turnover in 37 minutes. Beal was also able to give John Collins a taste of his own medicine in the win

• With Daniel Gafford out with a quad injury, Montrezl Harrell slid into the starting role for the Wizards and shined once again. The tenacious big scored 25 points (10-16 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 5-5 FT) to go with 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in 34 minutes of action. Harrell has now scored 25 points on back-to-back days and is averaging 19.2 points and 9.4 rebounds in 30.8 minutes per game to start the year. If Gafford is forced to miss more time -- an MRI on Thursday came back clean -- Harrell brings some really sound fantasy value.
• Harrell was not the only former Laker to play well for Washington. Kyle Kuzma scored 21 points (8-17 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 3-6 FT) and grabbed eight rebounds to go with three steals. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also scored a season-high 21 points (7-10 FG, 5-7 3Pt, 2-3 FT) to go with eight rebounds in the win.
• Collins may have gotten put on a poster by Beal, but the forward still had his best showing of the season. The Wake Forest product scored 28 points (14-16 FG) while grabbing 12 rebounds and three assists in the defeat.
• Trae Young struggled with hit outside shooting but was able to record a double-double in the loss. Young finished with 15 points (6-17 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-3 FT) and 13 assists.
• Joel Embiid put up a dominant performance in the 76ers' 110-102 win over the Pistons. The big man finished with 30 points (8-19 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 13-15 FT), 18 rebounds, three assists, one steal and four turnovers in 30 minutes. This was Embiid's first time scoring over 22 points this season and also his first time grabbing double-digit rebounds.
• Tyrese Maxey played well as he continues to fill in for Ben Simmons. The second-year guard scored 16 points (6-8 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT) to go with six rebounds, six assists, two blocks and four turnovers in 31 minutes. Maxey has seen 33.0 minutes per game throughout his first five appearances of the year.
  • Shake Milton made his season debut for the Sixers and added 13 points in 16 minutes off the bench.
• Saddiq Bey led the way for the Pistons, who dropped to 0-4. The Villanova product finished with a team-high 19 points (7-14 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 1-4 FT), six rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes of action.
• It was an incredibly balanced effort for the Jazz in their 122-91 blowout win over the Rockets. Utah had seven players reach double-figures while no player scored more than 20 points. Bojan Bogdanovic scored a team-high 19 points (5-12 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 7-7 FT) to go with four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one turnover in 25 minutes.
• While the Jazz thrived on offense in the win, their defense was also suffocating as just three Houston players scored over 10 points. Christian Wood finished with a team-high 16 points (6-13 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, two steals, one assist, one block and two turnovers in 27 minutes.
• Patrick Williams injured his left wrist and was forced to only play 16 minutes in the Bulls' defeat. With the UNC product missing a good portion of the contest, Alex Caruso saw a season-high 32 minutes which may indicate that the 27-year-old guard could be in store for additional playing time if Williams is forced to sit. Obviously, they're very different players, but the Bulls have very little frontcourt depth behind Williams and Nikola Vucevic.
• Draymond Green was an absolute beast on the defensive end. The forward finished the game with four points (2-5 FG), 12 rebounds, seven assists, five blocks and three steals in 37 minutes of action.
• De'Anthony Melton also continues to be a problem on defense. The 23-year-old recorded seven points (3-10 FG, 1-6 3Pt), six rebounds, four steals, three blocks and three assists in 34 minutes.
• Desmond Bane continues to play great for the Grizzlies. The second-year wing scored 19 points (7-16 FG, 5-11 3Pt) while recording six rebounds, two assists and a steal in 38 minutes of action. Bane is scoring 19.2 points per game while shooting at a 41.5 percent clip from deep. He'll be the favorite to remain in the starting five when Dillon Brooks (hand) returns from injury.
• Bryn Forbes was on fire during the Spurs' loss to Dallas. The veteran sharpshooter finished with 15 points (5-8 FG, 5-7 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist and two turnovers in 19 minutes.

Rookie Report

• Jalen Green: 13 points (3-12 FG, 1-8 3PT), three rebounds, three assists, one block, one steal and one turnover in 29 minutes.
  • It was not a good shooting day for the No. 2 overall selection in the draft. The Rockets were shut down by the Jazz in this one and there were certainly be better days ahead for the talented young guard.
• Ziaire Williams: Four points (2-9 FG, 0-7 3Pt), two blocks, one rebound, one assist, one steal and two turnovers in 20 minutes
  • The good news is that Williams shot a season-high nine times against the Warriors. The bad news is that the Stanford product made only two of those attempts and missed seven three-pointers. Williams needs to improve his play if he wants to continue to see the floor for Memphis, especially when Dillon Brooks comes back.
• Corey Kispert: Zero points (0-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt), three rebounds, one assist and one turnover in nine minutes.
  • The No. 15 overall selection continues to struggle out of the gate. Kispert has not scored over two points in four straight contests and should be nowhere near fantasy lineups at this moment.
• Alperen Sengun: 14 points (5-12 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five rebounds, three steals and one turnover
  • The rookie out of Turkey was actually one of the better players for the Rockets in the team's defeat to the Jazz. Sengun continues to rack up the steals as he picked up three more takeaways. The rookie also showed off his gritty rebounding with this impressive play

• Jared Butler: Four points (1-3 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two turnovers in 14 minutes.
  • I would have liked to see more playing time for Butler as the Jazz were thrashing the Rockets, but the Baylor product's 14 minutes did mark a new season-high. Due to the impressive depth of the Jazz roster, it is going to be hard for Butler to find consistent time, but he could move into a larger role if Mike Conley were to go down.
• Ayo Dosunmu: Zero points (0-2 FG) and two rebounds in nine minutes.
  • While the rookie out of Illinois has shown glimpses of being a legit playmaker and defender, Dosunmu is averaging just 8.5 minutes per game this season and is not in a position to be in fantasy lineups.

Looking Ahead to the Weekend

• European stars Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic square off Friday night as the Mavericks come into Denver.
• Ja Morant and the Grizzlies take on Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and the Miami Heat on Saturday night.
• The Utah Jazz and the Milwaukee Bucks will battle it out on Sunday in a matchup of two of the best regular season teams in the league over the last few seasons.