Around the Association: Recapping Christmas Weekend in the NBA

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 great holiday weekend around the league -- here is all you need to know:

Weekend Notables

Giannis pulls off a Christmas miracle 

• It seemed like the Boston Celtics were on their way to cruising to an easy Christmas Day victory over the Bucks, but Giannis Antetokounmpo had other plans. The two-time MVP was able to rally Milwaukee to a 117-113 victory as he put up 36 points (13-23 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 10-15 FT), 12 rebounds, five assists and two blocks across 30 minutes. Even more impressive, this was Antetokounmpo's first game back after missing five straight games due to health and safety protocols.
  • Donte DiVincenzo made his first appearance of the season as he came into the year dealing with an ankle injury. The Villanova product dropped three points (1-4 FG, 1-2 3Pt) and two rebounds over 16 minutes in his first action back.
• Jayson Tatum had a solid all-around performance despite taking the loss. The All-Star wing dropped 25 points (7-20 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 7-8 FT), nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks over 39 minutes. Tatum is currently sitting as the 26th overall nine-category fantasy option as we near the halfway point on the season.
  • Tatum entered COVID-19 protocols Monday morning.
  • Jaylen Brown: 25 points (8-18 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 7-7 FT), four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block over 37 minutes.

Steph and the Warriors take control of the West

• Despite the NBA dropping the ball on Christmas jerseys this season, they were still able to treat everyone to this marquee matchup between Western Conference juggernauts. Stephen Curry and company were able to finish victorious and defeated Phoenix by a score of 116-107 despite being short-handed.
  • The sharpshooting guard shined in the national spotlight once again as he recorded 33 points (10-27 FG, 5-16 3Pt, 8-9 FT), four rebounds, six assists, one block and three steals over 37 minutes. Curry is the No. 2 overall nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis this season, trailing just Nikola Jokic.
  • Otto Porter had one of his better games in quite some time with 19 points (8-13 FG, 3-7 3Pt), six rebounds, three assists and one steal in 29 minutes. The veteran forward came up incredibly clutch for the Warriors as 13 of his points came in the fourth quarter.
• Chris Paul stuffed the stat sheet despite the defeat. The Point God totaled 21 points (7-14 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), eight assists and six rebounds over 37 minutes. This was just Paul's second time scoring over 20 points across his last eight contests, however, he is averaging 9.1 assists per game during that span.
  • Devin Booker was held in check by the Warriors and coach Steve Kerr's defensive schemes. He recorded 13 points (5-19 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, three assists and two steals in the defeat. Almost surprisingly, Booker has three appearances scoring under 16 points out of his last five games.

Harden returns with a bang

• The Brooklyn Nets were sadly without Kevin Durant on Christmas day as they faced the Lakers (Fun fact: Durant and LeBron James have not faced off against each other since 2018 on Christmas), but the team was still able to get James Harden back from health and safety protocols. The All-Star guard shined in his first action back, recording 36 points (10-25 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 13-17 FT), 10 rebounds, 10 assists, three blocks and one steal in 39 minutes. It almost feels easy to just forget how good Harden could be and if Durant is forced to miss more games, the point guard is an elite fantasy option in all formats
  • Harden was not the only veteran guard to shine against LA, as Patty Mills went nuclear in the victory. The first-year Net ended with 34 points (11-17 FG, 8-13 3Pt, 4-4 FT), two rebounds, seven assists and one steal over 36 minutes. Mills is starting to take advantage of the Nets' short-handed roster as he is averaging 25.3 points per game over his last four showings.
• LeBron James did all he could in the losing effort. The 36-year-old ended with 39 points (14-25 FG, 3-9 3t, 8-9 FT), nine rebounds, seven assists, one block and three steals over 40 minutes. While he most likely would rather have walked away with a win, James still finished Saturday's contest as the NBA's all-time leader in points scored on Christmas.
  • Russell Westbrook put up one of the most empty triple-doubles of his career with ​​13 points (4-20 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 12 rebounds, 11 assists and one steal in 37 minutes. It has been a pretty ugly season for the All-Star guard, who has almost single-handedly submarined the Lakers' season. His 19.6 points per game would mark the lowest scoring average since his second season in the league.

Utah beats Dallas in a thriller

• The Christmas nightcap was supposed to be an easy win for the Jazz as they faced a very short-handed Mavericks team. However, the game was close throughout before Utah rallied in the fourth to a 120-116 victory. Donovan Mitchell was awesome in the win, ending with 33 points (11-26 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 10-11 FT), three rebounds, three assists and three steals over 35 minutes. Mitchell is slated to miss Utah's next two games with a back strain, but the All-Star guard has averaged 28.0 points per game over his last eight showings and is my sleeper pick for MVP right now.
  • Bojan Bogdanovic: 25 points (9-14 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 3-4 FT), four rebounds, one assist and one steal across 25 minutes.
• Kristaps Porzingis made his first appearance back after missing the team's last two showings with a toe injury. The forward picked up where he left off and totaled 27 points (8-18 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 11-13 FT), nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal over 33 minutes. Porzingis is the 16th overall nine-category fantasy option at this point on the season.
  • Jalen Brunson keeps shining without Luka Doncic. The point guard matched Porzingis with 27 points (10-25 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 5-8 FT), six assists, two rebounds and two steals over 36 minutes. He has averaged 21.1 points and 7.3 assists per game while starting each game over his last seven showings. The 2022 free agent is slated to get a nice payday in the offseason.

Embiid goes off in D.C.

• The 76ers came into town to face the Wizards on Sunday and Washington had no answer for Joel Embiid. The All-Star center was questionable with an illness but still ended with 36 points (12-17 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 10-11 FT), 13 rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal over 30 minutes of action. Embiid is averaging an impressive 33.0 points per game over his last four contests.
  • Tobias Harris: 23 points (10-16 FG, 3-4 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and one steal across 29 minutes of play.
• It was quite an ugly game for the entire Wizards roster as no player really stood out in the loss while Bradley Beal remains in health and safety protocols. Spencer Dinwiddie finished with a team-high 17 points (6-13 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-7 FT), six assists and three rebounds across 33 minutes.
  • Montrezl Harrell was having a decent game before Embiid's mind games got the best of him. The big finished with 15 points (4-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 7-8 FT), four rebounds, three assists and one steal in just 17 minutes before being ejected late in the third quarter.

A Cavaliers explosion 

• The Cleveland Cavaliers pounced on the Toronto Raptors as they finished victorious by a score of 144-99. This was a new season-high in scoring for the Cavs as Darius Garland led the way with 22 points (9-17 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 1-1 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and two steals over 29 minutes. Cleveland continues to be one of the pleasant surprises of this season.
  • I'll say it: Kevin Love has still got it. The forward made his first start of the season and ended with 22 points (7-12 FG, 6-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and one steal across 18 minutes. Across 12 appearances in December, Love has averaged 15.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in just 19.8 minutes per contest while ranking as the 54th overall nine-category fantasy option during that span.
• With the rest of the roster incredibly short-handed, Yuta Watanabe had a career-day in the blowout loss. The 27-year-old finished with a personal-best 26 points (11-20 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 13 rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 37 minutes. Honestly, Watanabe is a decent player and I hope he can make a name for himself and not just be known as the guy Anthony Edwards baptized.
  • D.J. Wilson made his first appearance with the Raptors this season and actually started Sunday's contest. He finished with an impressive 15 points (6-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), eight rebounds, four assists, one block and four steals over 34 minutes and is someone to keep an eye on.

Spurs manhandle Pistons

• One of the stranger coincidences of the weekend occurred Sunday night when the San Antonio Spurs also set a new season-high in scoring while defeating the short-handed Pistons 144-109. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I'm willing to believe that this is the first night in NBA history where two teams have both scored exactly 144 points. Keldon Johnson shined for the Spurs with 27 points (10-12 FG, 4-4 3Pt, 3-3 FT), five rebounds and one assist over just 23 minutes of play. It has been a solid five-game stretch for Johnson as he is averaging 19.0 points and 9.2 rebounds during that span.
  • Derrick White: seven points (1-3 FG, 5-5 FT), career-best 10 assists, three rebounds and one steal over 23 minutes.
• Hamidou Diallo got the start for Detroit and had one of the better games of his career as he ended with 28 points (13-19 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-5 FT), three rebounds, two assists, one block and three steals over 39 minutes. This was his first time scoring over 20 points this season.
  • Luka Garza made his first career start and played well before fouling out. The Iowa product ended with 20 points (7-14 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 4-5 FT), six rebounds and two assists over 20 minutes

Thunder snap Pelicans' streak

• In one of the better games of the weekend, the Oklahoma City Thunder were able to defeat the New Orleans 117-113 to snap the Pelicans' four-game winning streak. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was on one Sunday night as he totaled a team-high 31 points (11-20 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 8-13 FT), five assists, four rebounds, three blocks and one steal across 34 minutes. SGA is in his bag as of late and is averaging 29.0 points, 8.0 assists and 6.7 rebounds across his last three showings.
  • Aaron Wiggins had the best game of his short career as the second-round rookie finished with 24 points (8-10 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 6-8 FT), six rebounds and one assist over 32 minutes The Maryland product had actually not even reached double-figures at all this season, but performances like these are encouraging for the 22-year-old.
  • Josh Giddey dropped one of the more interesting stat lines of the season with zero points (0-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt), 10 rebounds and 10 assists over 27 minutes.
• As if taking the loss was not enough, the Pelicans also lost Brandon Ingram early in the contest due to a sore Achilles. Hopefully, this is nothing serious as the Pelicans are already without Zion Williamson for the time being. Ingram was also really starting to find his groove as of late, averaging 28.4 points over his last five contests.
  • Josh Hart is on fire right now. The rebounding guard totaled 29 points (10-17 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 6-6 FT), 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block during the defeat and is now averaging 20.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game over his last four showings. If Ingram is forced to miss some time, Hart's fantasy value should make a bit of a rise.

Zach (LaVine) is back

• It had been over two weeks since Zach LaVine took the floor with the Bulls, but you would have no idea as the guard showed no signs of rust. He finished with a team-high 32 points (12-18 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 3-5 FT), four rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal over 33 minutes. LaVine now has dropped 30 or more in four out of his last five contests.
  • The Bulls still just can't steer clear of COVID as Lonzo Ball became the most recent player to enter the league's health and safety protocols. Coby White started in his absence and finished with eight points (3-10 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, one assist and one block over 33 minutes. He could be worthy of a fantasy add in deeper leagues if you have roster spots to spare.
• With Malcolm Brogdon still out of the lineup with Achille soreness, Caris LeVert keeps shining in his spot at point guard. The 27-year-old ended with 27 points (9-22 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 6-7 FT), nine assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block across 39 minutes. LeVert is averaging an impressive 24.8 points, 7.0 assets and 4.8 rebounds per game over his last four appearances.
  • Domantas Sabonis: 14 points (5-17 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 16 rebounds, five assists and two steals over 35 minutes.

The Joker's got jokes

•  While Nikola Jokic started out this game living up his Joker nickname, the center was up to no funny business once the ball was tipped. The reigning MVP ended with 26 points (9-24 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 7-7 FT), 22 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks as he led Denver to a 103-100 win over the Clippers.
  • Jokic is just going absolutely bonkers right now as he now has back-to-back 20 point-20 rebound double-doubles while averaging 27.5 points, 21.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game over that span. I still feel like Jokic is still a bit underrated honestly as he continues to make his stakes to being the best player in the world.
    • Davon Reed had been shining in the G League with Denver's affiliate, the Grand Rapid Gold, and the guard had his best NBA performance of his career Sunday. He totaled 15 points (6-8 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 0-1 FT), two rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal over a reserve-high 26 minutes. Performances like these help Reed's chances of sticking with the NBA club.
• The Clippers were hit with rough news Sunday that they will be without Paul George suffered an elbow injury and will be out three-four weeks. Luke Kennard started in his place but only put up eight points (3-10 FG, 2-8 3Pt) and one rebound across 17 minutes in his spot.
  • Terance Mann seemed to benefit the most from George's absence. The third-year pro neared a triple-double with 11 points (5-11 FG, 1-1 3Pt), eight assists and seven rebounds across 36 minutes.
  • Brandon Boston also had a decent game for LA with 18 points (6-15 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 4-5 FT), three rebounds and two assists over 33 minutes off of the bench. The rookie missed a game-tying shot, but it is encouraging to see a hefty workload for him with George sidelined.

Best and Worst of the Weekend

• Best of the Weekend: Nikola Jokic - 26 points (9-24 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 7-7 FT), 22 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks across 37 minutes.
• Worst of the Weekend: Devin Booker - 13 points (5-19 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, three assists and two steals across 40 minutes.
• Rookie of the Weekend: Aaron Wiggins - 24 points (8-10 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 6-8 FT), six rebounds and one assist over 32 minutes

A Look Ahead to Monday Night

• Can the Spurs build off their Sunday explosion when the Jazz come to town?
• Ja Morant and the Grizzlies travel to Phoenix to match up against the Suns.
• I am expecting a pretty tight contest between the Mavericks and Trail Blazers in Portland.
• Can the short-handed Nets get a win against an also-short-handed Clippers team in LA?