Around the Association: VanVleet Comes Up Clutch, Tempers Flare In Utah, Clips Keep Rolling

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 just a three-game slate last night. Here is everything you need to know:

Nightly Notables

FVV pushes Raptors over 76ers

• Fred VanVleet had one of his best games of the season during Toronto's 115-109 win over the 76ers. He finished with 32 points (11-22 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 4-4 FT), seven assists, six rebounds, one steal and one turnover in 40 minutes. VanVleet came up clutch for the Raptors as he drilled a late three to clinch the victory.
  • Gary Trent had a solid showing. The Duke product dropped in 20 points (7-16 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two turnovers in 36 minutes. The 22-year-old is quietly off to a great start this season and ranks as the 44th best nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis.

• Tyrese Maxey continues to drop buckets for the 76ers as they deal with their COVID conundrum. The second-year guard put up a team-high 33 points (12-19 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 8-8 FT), five assists, four rebounds, two blocks, one steal and two turnovers in 40 minutes. Maxey is averaging 32.0 points per game over his last two outings
  • Tobias Harris made his return to the court after missing six straight games due to COVID protocols. The veteran forward finished with 19 points (7-18 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), seven rebounds, seven assists, one block and four turnovers in 37 minutes. Harris figures to be a strong fantasy option as Philadelphia remains short-handed due to COVID. His 28.7 percent usage rating Thursday night was his second-highest mark of the season.

Pacers hand Jazz first home loss as tempers flare

• The Jazz headed into Thursday night with an undefeated home record, but the Pacers were able to change that, defeating Utah 111-100 in Salt Lake City. The game did not end pretty. Myles Turner and Rudy Gobert got into a little scrap late in the contest that ended with the pair, as well as Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles, all being ejected from the game.
  • On a more positive note, Malcolm Brogdon balled out. The 28-year-old put in 30 points (10-23 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 8-9 FT), nine rebounds, four assists, one steal and one turnover in 36 minutes.

• Before getting tossed from the game, Mitchell impressed yet again. The star guard put in 26 points (11-20 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 1-1 FT), five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 32 minutes.

Clips rally against Miami to extend win streak

• The Miami Heat were without Jimmy Butler (ankle) but started the game hot against the Clippers. However, they ultimately fell 112-109 after Nicolas Batum was able to record a last-second steal to save the game. The Clippers are one of the hottest teams in basketball and have won six straight games. Paul George led the way with 27 points (11-25 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five assists, four rebounds, three steals and three turnovers over 38 minutes.
  • Reggie Jackson also had a big game for the Clippers. He put up 23 points (10-20 FG, 3-5 3Pt), six assists, two rebounds, one steal and two turnovers across 35 minutes. Jackson has scored at least 19 points in five straight showings.
• Bam Adebayo started the game out on fire. The big scored 19 points in the first quarter before finishing the game with 30 points (12-18 FG, 6-8 FT), 11 rebounds, one steal, one blocked shot and two turnovers over 40 minutes. This marked the first 30-point outing for Adebayo this year
  • Kyle Lowry was also incredible for Miami down the stretch. Through three quarters, the veteran had only scored three points, but he ended with 25 points (9-17 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 3-3 FT), five assists, three rebounds, two steals and four turnovers across 38 minutes. It was truly an impressive fourth-quarter out of the 35-year-old.

Best and Worst of the Night

• Best of the Night: Fred VanVleet -- 32 points (11-22 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 4-4 FT), seven assists, six rebounds, one steal and one turnover in 40 minutes.
• Worst of the Night: Domantas Sabonis -- Six points (2-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-4 FT), seven rebounds, five assists, one steal, one block, two turnovers and six fouls in 31 minutes.
• Rookie of the Night: Scottie Barnes -- 13 points(6-13 FG, 1-1 FT), nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks, one steal and one turnover in 39 minutes

Quick Hitters

• OG Anunoby put in yet another solid effort during the win. The forward ended with 20 points (7-15 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), four rebounds, four assists, one steal and one turnover in 38 minutes. Anunoby's breakout season is in full swing as he ranks as the 36th overall nine-category fantasy option in a per-game-basis.
  • Scottie Barnes neared a double-double in the win. The exciting rookie finished with 13 points(6-13 FG, 1-1 FT), nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks, one steal and one turnover in 39 minutes.
  • This was also easily Chris Boucher's best game of the season. He scored a season-high 17 points (7-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT) to go with six rebounds, two blocks, one steal and one turnover in 24 minutes
  • Toronto was without Pascal Siakam, who sat out for maintenance purposes.
• T.J. McConnell had a great showing off the bench for the Pacers. He dropped a season-high 21 points (10-14 FG, 1-1 3Pt) to go with eight rebounds, five assists, one steal and one turnover in 30 minutes. This marks four straight games with over 16 points for McConnell.
  • It was an OK showing from Chris Duarte. The rookie out of Oregon finished with 11 points (5-14 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 0-2 FT), five rebounds and one turnover in 31 minutes. After averaging 17.7 points per game over his first seven contests, Duarte's average is down to just 11.5 points over his last six appearances.
• It was not the best shooting night for Jordan Clarkson. The reigning sixth man of the year finished with 11 points (3-14 FG, 2-10 3Pt, 3-3 FT), three assists, two rebounds and one turnover in 24 minutes.
• Tyler Herro slid into Miami's starting lineup as Jimmy Butler was inactive due to a sprained ankle. He continued to drop buckets despite some shaky outside shooting, finishing with 23 points (10-23 FG, 0-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT) to go with seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and two turnovers.
• Eric Bledsoe had potentially his best game of the season during the Clippers' win. He finished with 22 points (7-17 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 6-6 FT), three rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one turnover in 40 minutes. This was Bledsoe's first time scoring over 20 points since the Clippers' first game of the season.
  • Ivica Zubac posted his third double-double out in his last four showings, finishing with 18 points (7-10 FG, 4-6 FT), 11 rebounds, one assist and two blocked shots in 29 minutes.

Looking Ahead to the Weekend

• The Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls meet the Western Conference-leading Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on Friday night.
• Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley will face each other for the first time in their careers when Detroit plays at Cleveland on Friday.
  • Cunningham then gets to battle Scottie Barnes for the first time as Detroit travels to Toronto on Saturday.
• The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks square off in a rematch of the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday.
• Chris Paul faces off against his former team in the Houston Rockets on Sunday.