Around the Association: Curry Falls Short, Tatum Goes Off, Rockets Rally Back

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 a busy nine-game slate to start off our week, Here is all you need to know:

Nightly Notables

Curry misses record but leads Dubs to win

• Stephen Curry came into Monday's contest against the Pacers seven three-pointers away from breaking Ray Allen's all-time record. The two-time MVP was not able to break Allen's record, but Curry did help lead a Warriors' comeback that ended with Golden State defeating Indiana 102-100. The All-Star finished with 26 points (8-20 FG, 5-15 3Pt, 5-5 FT), six rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal over 35 minutes.
  • Andrew Wiggins: 15 points (7-15 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT), five rebounds, one assist, three blocks and one steal across 34 minutes.
• This would have been a funny win for the Pacers as they are amidst serious internal turmoil that will likely lead to multiple players being traded. Despite the drama, Indiana had won three straight games coming into Monday night's hard-fought loss.
  • Domantas Sabonis once again led the way for the Pacers with 30 points (12-17 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 6-10 FT), 11 rebounds, one block and two steals over 36 minutes. The forward is starting to heat up, posting seven straight double-doubles for Indiana.
    • Malcolm Brogdon: 23 points (7-14 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 8-10 FT), six rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 36 minutes.

Tatum pushes Celtics over Bucks

• The Milwaukee Bucks traveled to Boston to match up against the Boston Celtics and the game ended with the score 117-103 in favor of Boston. Jayson Tatum went off for the C's, finishing with a game-high 42 points (16-25 FG, 7-13 3Pt, 3-5 FT), five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 38 minutes. The All-Star forward has finished with 29 or more points in five of his last six showings.
  • Jaylen Brown made his return to the Celtics' lineup after missing 13 out of Boston's last 19 contests due to a hamstring injury. The guard now figures to be 100 percent healthy going forward and ended the contest with 19 points (6-13 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five assists, four rebounds, two steals and one block over 29 minutes.
• It seems that the Bucks survived a major injury scare when Khris Middleton left the contest early due to a knee injury. The results showed that the veteran wing just hyperextended his knee and no major damage was done. This is obviously great news for Milwaukee, but if Middleton is forced to miss more time this season, expect more opportunities for Pat Connaughton and Rodney Hood.
  • It was not necessarily a horrible game for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the two-time MVP was held in check by the Celtics, finishing with 20 points (7-14 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 6-8 FT), eight rebounds, three assists and one steal across 33 minutes.

Rockets come back against Hawks

• The Atlanta Hawks held a lead for most of the game when the Houston Rockets came into town Monday night. However, the Rockets outscored the Hawks by 19 points in the fourth quarter and won the contest by a score of 132-126. This marks Houston's eighth win in its last 10 contests as they improve to 9-18 on the season.
  • Eric Gordon paved the way for the Rockets with 32 points (10-16 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 7-9 FT), three rebounds, three assists and one steal in 32 minutes.
  • D.J. Augustin had his best performance of the season as he dropped 22 points (7-9 FG, 6-7 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds and one assist in just 23 minutes. The veteran's 22 points marked a new season-high, as this was just Augustin's second time reaching double-digit scoring this season.
• Despite the losing effort, Trae Young continues to be one bad man for the Hawks. The All-Star guard dropped a game-high 41 points (14-22 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 8-9 FT), four rebounds, nine assists and one steal in 36 minutes. Young's impressive effort actually snapped a five-game streak of 25-point double-doubles, but regardless, the Oklahoma product ranks as the sixth overall nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis over the past week.

Jokic keeps up ridiculous play before getting tossed

• the Denver Nuggets won their third contest out of their past four appearances after a 113-107 win over the Wizards despite losing their star center in the fourth quarter. Even though he got ejected, Nikola Jokic was phenomenal once again for the Nuggets, posting 28 points (9-14 FG, 1-2 3PT, 9-11 FT), 19 rebounds, nine assists, three steals and one block in 31 minutes. The reigning MVP is averaging a casual 31.0 points, 15.0 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game over his past four appearances.
  • Monte Morris tied a season-high in points with 22 points (8-14 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 3-4 FT) to go with six rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes. The Iowa State product has reached double-figures in scoring during 10 out of his past 11 appearances and ranks as the 46th overall nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis over the past week.
• Bradley Beal totaled a season-high in assists with 10 dimes to go with 19 points (8-19 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 1-3 FT), three rebounds one block in 39 minutes during Monday's loss. After being a top-15 nine-category player for each of the past three seasons, Beal sits at 94th overall this season in what has been a down year for the All-Star guard.
  • Davis Bertans caught fire off of the bench, dropping a team-high 21 points (8-13 FG, 5-9 3Pt), five rebounds, one block and one steal in 31 minutes. This was just the Latvian Laser's first game reaching 20 or more points this season.

George-less Clippers beat Booker and Ayton-less Suns

• Paul George was sidelined for his third straight showing with an elbow injury, but the Los Angeles Clippers still were able to defeat the Suns by a score of 111-95. Marcus Morris led the way for Los Angeles with  24 points (10-16 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 11 rebounds and one assist across 33 minutes. The veteran forward set season-highs in both points and rebounds during the victory.
  • Isaiah Hartenstein: 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-2 FT), a career-high seven assists, five rebounds two blocks and one steal in 23 minutes.
• Devin Booker (hamstring) missed his fifth straight contest while Deandre Ayton (illness) missed his second in a row for the Suns in what ended up being a rough offensive performance for the entire team.
• Cameron Johnson dropped a team-high 17 points (5-11 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six rebounds, one assist and three steals in 34 minutes. The UNC product is honestly starting to put together some real quality performances in year No. 3. Johnson has averaged 15.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game over his last six appearances while ranking as the 14th overall nine-category fantasy option on per-game basis over the past week!
  • JaVale McGee: 13 points (5-13 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 13 rebounds and one assist over 25 minutes.

Best and Worst of the Night 

• Best of the Night: Jayson Tatum - 42 points (16-25 FG, 7-13 3Pt, 3-5 FT), five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 38 minutes.
• Worst of the Night: Chris Duarte - Three points (1-6 FG, 1-3 3Pt), four rebounds and one assist in 21 minutes.
• Rookie of the Night: Scottie Barnes - 16 points (6-14 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 3-4 FT), four rebounds, two assists and five blocks over 32 minutes.

Quick Hitters

• Kevin Love dropped a team-high 23 points (6-10 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 6-6 FT), nine rebounds and one assist over 24 minutes Cavaliers win over Heat 105-94. Love is averaging 15.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game over his past four showings.
  • Isaac Okoro is another Cleveland player who is increasing his production. The second-year wing ended with 18 points (7-12 FG, 4-8 3Pt), five rebounds and two assists across 35 minutes. After not scoring over 12 points all season long, Okoro has now recorded at least 16 points in his last three appearances.
• P.J. Tucker put up a productive outing during Miami's loss in Cleveland, finishing with 23 points (9-15 FG, 5-8 3Pt), nine rebounds, five assists and one block. This was the veteran enforcer's first 20-point outing of the year.
• The Toronto Raptors defeated the Sacramento Kings by a score of 124-101 in an incredibly balanced effort. Seven of the team's nine players who touched the court scored double-figure points, but no Raptors' player topped 20 points in the win. Chris Boucher finished with a team-high 17 points (7-10 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), five rebounds, one assist and one block over 22 minutes.
  • Yuta Watanabe had perhaps his best performance of his career with 12 points (5-8 FG, 2-4 3PT), 10 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 25 minutes of play.
• De'Aaron Fox is starting to find his rhythm as the season progresses for the Kings. The Kentucky product put up  29 points (11-20 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 6-7 FT), two rebounds, three assists and two steals across 32 minutes. Fox has dropped 29 or more points in three out of his past four showings.
• Dillon Brooks led the way for the Grizzlies as they absolutely blew out the Joel Embiid-less 76ers by a score of 126-91 in Memphis. The Oregon product finished with a team-high 23 points (9-15 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-4 FT), six rebounds, two assists and one steal across 27 minutes. The 25-year-old has now crossed the 20-point scoring mark in three out of his last four appearances.
  • Jaren Jackson also looked good for the Grizzlies, ending with 22 points (8-17 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 5-6 FT), four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal over 26 minutes. JJJ continues to be an awesome fantasy asset, ranking as the 19th best nine-category option on a per-game basis over the past two weeks.
• With Joel Embiid (rib) and Seth Curry (shoulder) out for the 76ers, Tyrese Maxey dropped a team-high 23 points (9-17 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), seven assists and one steal in 30 minutes. The Kentucky product's 16.7 points per game is nearly double his scoring figure from his rookie season one year ago.
  • Charles Bassey saw 22 minutes off the bench with Embiid out and finished with 13 points (6-10 FG, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds and four blocks across 22 minutes off the bench while fouling out. This marked the 21-year-old rookie's first career double-double
• Luka Doncic (ankle) may have been out for the  Mavericks, but that did not slow them down as they smashed the Hornets 120-96. Kristaps Porzingis was great once again with 24 points (7-16 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 7-9 FT), 13 rebounds and five blocks in 25 minutes. The sixth-year pro's 19.5 points per game may be his fewest in four seasons, but his PER of 23.3 would set a new career-high for the big.
  • Trey Burke took advantage of Doncic being out of the lineup and posted 22 points (9-14 FG, 4-7 3Pt), three rebounds, six assists and one steal over 23 minutes.
• Terry Rozier ended Monday's loss to Dallas with 20 points (8-14 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 2-4 FT), four rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in 33 minutes in his first game back in action with the Hornets after missing four consecutive showings due to COVID-protocols.

A Look Ahead to Tuesday Night 

• Stephen Curry will most likely break Ray Allen's all-time three-point record when the Warriors play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
• Can Damian Lillard end the Trail Blazers' five-game losing streak against the Suns?
• The Toronto Raptors match up against the Brooklyn Nets in New York City.