Around the Association: Curry Shines in Statement Win

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Published on November 17, 2021

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 a quick three-game slate last night -- here is all you need to know:

Nightly Notables

Curry shines as Warriors roll on

The Golden State Warriors traveled to Brooklyn on Tuesday for a highly-anticipated matchup against the Nets. Golden State led by just five points at halftime, but ended up defeating Brooklyn by a margin of 117-99. Stephen Curry made a statement, scoring 37 points (12-19 FG, 9-14 3Pt, 4-4 FT) while recording seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in 29 minutes. Curry ranks as the No. 1 nine-category fantasy player on a per-game basis and has emerged as the early season MVP favorite.
- Andrew Wiggins was efficient during the commanding win, finishing with 19 points (7-11 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), two rebounds, one assist and one block in 22 minutes.
It was a pretty quiet night for Brooklyn offensively as Golden State controlled much of the second half. James Harden led the Nets in scoring, finishing with 24 points (6-13 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 10-11 FT) to go with four rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes.
- Kevin Durant was very unlike his typical self Tuesday night, missing. The All-Star forward 19 points (6-19 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 5-6 FT), five rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes. I think this is just a testament to how good KD is, but this was by far Durant's worst performance of the season. This marked his first time scoring under 22 points all year

Jazz take care of business against Philadelphia

The Joel Embiid-less 76ers traveled to Utah to matchup against the Jazz and ended up losing 120-85 behind a strong performance from Bojan Bogdanovic. The sharpshooting forward dropped in a season-high 27 points (9-12 FG, 5-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six rebounds and two assists over 27 minutes of action. The Jazz advanced to 9-5 after the victory
- Jordan Clarkson did his thing off of the bench for Utah. The reigning sixth man of the year dropped 20 points (8-20 FG, 4-12 3Pt), seven rebounds, one assist and one turnover in 21 minutes of action. After a span of four contests where Clarkson averaged 10.0 points per game, the scoring machine is averaging 22.5 points per game over his last two showings.
The 76ers are starting to desperately await the return of Embiid while they still are also without Matisse Thybulle and Danny Green. The team has now dropped five straight games while slipping to an 8-7 record. Shake Milton scored a team-high 18 points (7-19 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 4-5 FT) to go with three rebounds and four assists over 35 minutes during the loss.

PG leads Clips past Spurs

The struggling Spurs headed into LA to face off against the Clippers and Los Angeles was able to end the game victorious by a margin of 106-92. Paul George impressed once again in the win. He finished with 34 points (10-24 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 12-13 FT), nine rebounds, four assists and two steals over 34 minutes. This marked George's 11th straight game scoring 20 or more points as his tremendous start to the season continues.
- Reggie Jackson was the only other Clipper to do much damage in the scoring department, finishing with 21 points (8-22 FG, 5-17 3Pt) to go with six rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 37 minutes of play. It was not the most efficient shooting night for the veteran, but this still marked Jackson's fifth showing scoring 20 or more points out of his last six appearances.
Despite the losing effort, Dejounte Murray was terrific in the loss and fell just shy of a triple-double. The young guard recorded 26 points (12-21 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 12 rebounds, nine assists and three steals in 38 minutes. This has been the best campaign of Murray's short career as he is averaging 18.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.1 assists in 34.6 minutes per game -- all career-highs.
- Derrick White had a solid scoring game for the Spurs in the loss. The guard dropped 19 points (8-14 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, three assists and one steal in 31 minutes. This was a much-needed showing from the Colorado product as he had averaged just 5.8 points per game over his five contests heading into Tuesday night.

Best and Worst of the Night

Best of the Night: Stephen Curry -- 37 points (12-19 FG, 9-14 3Pt, 4-4 FT) while recording seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in 29 minutes.
Dud of the Night: Seth Curry -- Five points (1-8 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two assists, one rebound and two steals in 24 minutes.
Rookie of the Night: Brandon Boston -- 13 points (4-7 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-3 FT), four rebounds, one assist and one steal in 19 minutes.

Quick Hitters

Draymond Green nearly record a triple-double during Golden State's win, finishing with 11 points (5-6 FG, 1-2 3Pt), eight assists, six rebounds and one steal in 29 minutes during the Dubs' victory.
If you asked me at the start of the season how I thought the Warriors would handle their rookies, I would have expected Moses Moody to be the one seeing more action while Jonathan Kuminga takes more time to develop. However, it is looking like it is becoming the exact opposite as Kuminga finished with seven points (3-6 FG, 0-2 3Pt 1-2 FT) and six rebounds in 18 minutes, compared to Moddy going scoreless in eight minutes.
LaMarcus Aldridge did not see the court until the fourth quarter during Brooklyn's loss. He finished with two points (1-3 FG, 0-1 3Pt), one rebound and one assist in nine minutes. The game was a blowout, but his status in Brooklyn's rotation going forward will be one to monitor.
Rudy Gobert dropped in another double-double during the victory over Philadelphia. He finished with 15 points (6-10 FG, 3-7 FT), 17 rebounds, one assist and four blocks over 28 minutes to earn his 11th double-double in 14 games.
Tyrese Maxey snapped a three-game streak of scoring 20 or more points, but the second-year guard still had a solid showing. He finished with 16 points (7-14 FG, 2-4 3Pt), four rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes.
With Jakob Poeltl still out due to COVID protocols, Drew Eubanks continues to start at center for the Spurs. The 24-year-old scored eight points (3-7 FG, 2-2 FT) 10 rebounds, one assist and one block in 24 minutes. He has averaged 9.9 points and 7.0 rebounds in 22,4 minutes per game over Poeltl's seven straight absences.
- Thaddeus Young is also starting to see more run for the Spurs, recording 10 points (5-11 FG, 0-1 FT), five assists, four rebounds and two steals in 23 minutes. Young is averaging 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 24.4 minutes per game over the seven games Poeltl has missed.
Brandon Boston had his best career performance during the Clippers' win. The rookie out of Kentucky dropped 13 points (4-7 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-3 FT), four rebounds, one assist and one steal in 19 minutes. Benefiting from the absence of Terence Mann, this was Boston's first time scoring more than three points all season long.

A look ahead to Wednesday night

Bradley Beal makes his return to Washington's lineup as the 10-3 Wizards matchup against the 8-7 Hornets.
The Lakers and Bucks matchup for the first time this season
Can the Bulls keep up their strong play in Portland?
The Suns look for 10 straight wins against the Mavs