Around the Association: 10 Takeaways From A COVID-Filled Weekend

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 weekend full of awesome games, but also full of COVID cases. Here is all you need to know:

Nightly Notables

COVID, COVID and more COVID

• It really is unfortunate that we had an absolutely awesome weekend of NBA action, but almost all of it has been overshadowed by the dark cloud of COVID in the NBA that doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon.
  • Here are some of the notable players currently in protocols: Trae Young, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Zach LaVine, Jarrett Allen, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards, RJ Barrett, De'Aaron Fox, Pascal Siakam, Kyle Kuzma and many more. On top of making the league less enjoyable, this is also making everything quite difficult for fantasy managers. With replacement players set to arrive in droves this week, the challenge for managers is only beginning.

Steph beats Celtics in thriller

• One of the more thrilling matchups of the weekend came Friday when the Warriors traveled to Boston to face the Celtics. It was a tightly contested battle throughout and ended with the score 111-107 in favor of Golden State. Stephen Curry continued to dazzle, dropping in 30 points (8-21 FG, 5-14 3Pt, 9-9 FT), five rebounds, four assists and a steal in 35 minutes while hitting some clutch shots late as well.
  • Andrew Wiggins also looked good in the victory for the Warriors. The 26-year-old totaled  27 points (11-20 FG, 5-7 3Pt), six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 36 minutes. However, Wiggins' weekend quickly went downhill as he was one of the many players placed in health and safety protocols Sunday.
• Jayson Tatum had a very productive outing for the Celtics, despite the defeat. The All-Star wing dropped  27 points (9-19 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 6-6 FT), eight rebounds, six assists and one steal over 42 minutes. Tatum currently ranks as the 27th overall nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis.
  • Jaylen Brown finished with 20 points (8-16 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 0-2 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and one steal across 33 minutes in the loss. In his three games since returning from a hamstring injury, Brown is averaging 20.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists across 31.7 minutes of action.

Dejounte Murray and Bradley Beal take turns handling Jazz 

• The Utah Jazz came into the weekend winners of eight straight contests but were in for a wild weekend that started when the Spurs came to town Friday. The game was back and forth the entire time, but ended with the Spurs snapping Utah's streak and winning 128-126 behind a tough Dejounte Murray layup late in teh game. The improved guard finished with his 16 points (6-16 FG, 1-6 3PT, 3-6 FT), 11 rebounds, 11 assists, two steals and one block across 37 minutes to mark his fifth triple-double of the year.
  • Donovan Mitchell put up a strong fight despite falling to San Antonio as he finished the contest with 27 points (10-23 FG, 3-11 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block in 31 minutes.
• The very next day, the Washington Wizards came into town, and Bradley Beal was a man on a mission. The All-Star guard recorded a season-high 37 points (13-24 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 9-10 FT), five rebounds, seven assists and one block in 36 minutes to push Washington to a 109-103 road win. Beal's scoring drop-off this season has been one of the bigger storylines of the year, but he is starting to get back to his normal self as of late, averaging 27.4 points per game over his last seven appearances.
  • Mitchell once again was phenomenal with 32 points (12-25 FG, 4-12 3Pt, 4-5 FT), three rebounds, five assists and one steal in 37 minutes. Mitchell is averaging a casual 30.1 points per game on 52.4 percent shooting from the field over the month of December.

Jrue Holiday's career night not enough against former team

• The Milwaukee Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis during Friday's contest against the Pelicans, but they were still able to keep the game close despite falling 116-112 in overtime. Devonte' Graham had perhaps his best outing as a Pelican as he finished with 26 points (8-12 FG, 8-12 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, four assists and three steals over 36 minutes. It was some serious knock-down shooting out of the speedy guard.
  • Brandon Ingram also looked really good for New Orleans and finished with 22 points (6-16 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 7-9 fT), five rebounds, five assists and three steals over 42 minutes. BI has now dropped 22 or more in eight out of his last nine showings.
  • Josh Hart: 11 points (5-10 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-6 FT), 15 rebounds, eight assists and one steal over 41 minutes.
• Despite the Bucks ending up as losers in the contest, the real storyline out of the game was Jrue Holiday's career performance against his former team. The two-way specialist ended with a career-best  40 points (18-36 FG, 1-8 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five rebounds, five assists and two steals across 44 minutes. If Antetokounmpo and Middleton are forced to miss more time, Holiday should continue to see additional boosts in usage.
  • Holiday was Held out. ofSaturday's game against the Cavs for rest purposes.
  • Grayson Allen: 25 points (8-17 FG, 7-12 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, one block and three steals across 39 minutes.

Max Strus and Gabe Vincent go nuclear in Orlando

• You read that headline correctly. The Miami Heat found themselves incredibly short-handed for their Friday contest against the Magic as Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo were all sidelined for the team. However, Max Strus emerged as the unlikely hero for Miami off of the bench and absolutely torched Orlando en route to a 115-105 victory.
  • The DePaul product ended with a career-high 32 points (11-15 FG, 8-11 3Pt, 2-3 FT), seven rebounds and one assist over 34 minutes. Strus lead the Heat in scoring over the weekend, averaging 28.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists over 34.0 minutes per game during his two appearances.
  • Gabe Vincent also popped off for the Heat. The sharpshooting guard posted 27 points (10-20 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 3-3 FT), two rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal across 36 minutes. Vincent has started the last five games for Miami and has averaged 15.8 points and 4.8 assists across 33.4 minutes per game.
• The Miami Heat were not the only team in the contest that found themselves short-handed as the Magic also were missing Mo Bamba, R.J. Hampton, Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony and more. Franz Wagner shined in his teammates' absences finishing with 27 points (11-23 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 5-6 FT), six rebounds, four assists and one steal across 36 minutes. It was truly an impressive performance out of the rookie who is averaging 18.2 point and 6.6 rebounds over his last five showings.
  • Gary Harris had one of his better outings of the season and finished with a season-high 20 points (7-14 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five assists, two steals, one block and one rebound.

Lakers lose the weekend and AD

• The biggest losers of the weekend have to be the Los Angeles Lakers. The 2020 NBA champions dropped games to both the Timberwolves and Bulls and to make matters even worse, they will be without Anthony Davis (knee) for at least a month. This is obviously horrible news for a Lakers team that continues to struggle and now sits at just 16-15 to start the season.
  • LeBron James had a strong weekend for the team despite the losses and averaged 24.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steal across 37.5 minutes per contest. James currently ranks as the No. 4 overall nine-category fantasy option as he continues to sip from the fountain of youth during timeouts.
    • Speaking of the fountain of youth, Isaiah Thomas is back in the league and made his first two appearances of the year with the Lakers over the weekend. In fact, the veteran point guard made his first start in 685 days during the Lakers' loss Sunday. Thomas averaged 16.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists over 27.0 minutes per game over the weekend.

Lillard and Trail Blazers roll through the weekend

• Coming into the weekend, the Trail Blazers had lost seven straight contests, but Damian Lillard was determined to right the ship for Portland. The All-Star guard went off for a season-high 43 points (12-19 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 13-14 FT), four rebounds, eight assists and one steal in 37 minutes during the team's 125-116 win over Charlotte on Friday. The All-Star guard averaged 37.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game over the Trail Blazers' weekend wins over both the Hornets and Grizzlies. Hopefully, this recent strong play out of Lillard can get the 13-18 Trail Blazers back and rolling.

SGA beats Clippers at the buzzer

• Why do I feel like the Thunder and the Clippers always find themselves in thrilling, wire-to-wire matchups? Saturday night's game was back and forth throughout before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sunk a three-pointer at the buzzer to give OKC the 104-103 victory. The Canadian star finished with 18 points (8-16 FG, 2-5 3Pt), six assists, three rebounds and one steal over 35 minutes of action. SGA has been on fire with his clutch heroics as of late.
  • Luguentz Dort also had a really strong performance for the Thunder in the win. The elite defender showed off his improved offensive game dropping in a team-high 29 points (12-19 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 1-1 FT), five rebounds, two steals and one assist over 36 minutes of play.
  • Josh Giddey: eight points (4-14 FG, 0-1 3Pt), season-high 18 rebounds and 10 assists across 32 minutes.
• The Clippers were still without Paul George (elbow), but the team should be getting their All-Star back soon. Luke Kennard was efficient in the defeat and ended with a season-high ​​27 points (9-18 FG, 7-13 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and one steal in 39 minutes. In the five straight contests that George has been sidelined, Kennard is averaging 18.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists over 33.8 minutes per game.
  • Terance Mann: 18 points (6-12 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 5-7 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and one block over 40 minutes.

Devin Booker makes his return

• The Suns were one of the winners of the weekend as they finally got Devin Booker back in the lineup. The All-Star guard missed the team's last seven appearances but dropped 16 points (6-15 FG, 4-8 3Pt), six rebounds, five assists and one steal in 26 minutes during the Phoenix's 137-106 beatdown over the Hornets on Sunday. It was a classic team effort that we have become accustomed to seeing out of Phoenix as nine players reached double-figures yet not one topped 20 points. The Suns sit at 24-5 and are currently atop the Western Conference standings.
  • JaVale McGee continues to be one of the most under-appreciated players in the league. The big man finished with 19 points (9-10 FG, 1-2 FT), seven rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal across 16 minutes. McGee's 26.93 PER is the third-highest in the NBA.
• It was an ugly outing for the entire Hornets roster as they got manhandled by Phoenix. Miles Bridges was the only Charlotte player to score over 18 points and finished with  26 points (10-16 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds and two steals across 32 minutes. The improved wing has continued his solid play and ranks as the 26th overall nine-category player on a per-game basis.
  • LaMelo Ball struggled from the field but was close to dropping a triple-double in just his second game back after being cleared from COVID protocols. The young star finished with nine points (2-12 FG, 1-6 43Pt, 4-4 FT), 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block over 24 minutes.

No Edwards, No problem

• The Minnesota Timberwolves were without Anthony Edwards (COVID-19 protocols) for the weekend but were still able to get wins over both the Lakers and Mavericks. It was a very strong weekend for Karl-Anthony Towns as the center posted 26.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals per game over Minnesota's two-weekend victories. Towns has been on one to start the month of December and has scored over 21 points in each of his eight outings this month.
  • D'Angelo Russell stepped up to be the Timberwolves' second-leading scorer over the weekend with Edwards watching from home. The playmaking shot-creator averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals over 31.0 minutes per game over the team's two victories. Minnesota now sits at 15-15, good for eight in the Western Conference.

Best and Worst of the Night 

• Best of the Weekend: Damian Lillard -- 37.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds across 37.5 minutes per game.
• Worst of the Weekend: Gordon Hayward -- 7.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists across 24.5 minutes per game. (weekend worst -27 plus/minus).
• Rookie of the Weekend: Franz Wagner -- 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 steals across 32.0 minutes per game.

A Look Ahead to Monday Night 

• The 76ers travel to Boston to take on the Celtics
• The Rockets beat the Bulls in the team's first matchup this season. Can Houston pull off another upset?
• Paul George (elbow) is questionable to make his return to the court at home against the Spurs.
• Can Utah snap out of its funk when the Hornets come into town?