Around the Association: One Wild Monday Night 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.

Here is all you need to know from last night's wild, 10-game slate:

Nightly Notables

Trae's career night not enough for Simons and the Blazers

• The matchup of the night came in Portland where Trae Young and Anfernee Simons put on an absolute show. The Trail Blazers were without Damian Lillard (abdominal injury management), which in turn, paved the way for Simons to have a career performance.
• The sharpshooting guard finished with a personal-best 43 points (13-21 FG, 9-16 3Pt, 8-8 FT), three rebounds and seven assists over 38 minutes to lead Portland to a 136-131 victory. While this was a great performance, it is pretty clear that as long as Lillard is still on the roster, Simons' true fantasy potential will continue to be capped.
  • I was really impressed with what I saw out of Nassir Little. The third-year pro put up a season-high 22 points (8-14 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 2-3 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and one steal over 35 minutes. Little's season-long averages of 8.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists would all mark career-bests for the UNC product.
• Despite coming up short in the contest, Trae Young was ridiculous in the loss. The All-Star guard ended with a career-high 56 points (17-26 FG, 7-12 3Pt, 15-15 FT), four rebounds and 14 assists in 37 minutes. Young's 56 points marked the most points scored by any player this season. He is averaging 33.4 points and 10.4 assists over his last 10 appearances.
  • Clint Capela dropped his third straight double-double with 22 points (10-10 FG, 2-5 FT), 11 rebounds and one assist in 32 minutes. He is averaging 19.3 points and 16.3 boards per game over his last three showings.

Beal and Kuz push Wizards past Hornets

• One of the better games of the night came in Washington when the Hornets came to town. It was a tightly contested battle throughout, but the heroics of Kyle Kuzma and Bradley Beal helped push Washington to a 124-121 victory. Kuzma finished with a season-high 36 points (13-26 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 14 rebounds, six assists and one steal over 41 minutes. The 26-year-old is playing at a career-best level and is averaging 28.0 points and 10.8 rebounds across his last four showings.
  • Beal also did his thing in the victory. The All-Star guard recorded 35 points (11-22 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 10-11 FT), seven rebounds, eight assists and one block across 43 minutes. I am starting to think he is officially back, averaging 28.3 points and 7.4 assists per game over his last 10 appearances.
• Gordon Hayward had one of his better outings of the season despite the loss. The veteran wing finished with a team-best 27 points (11-22 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 3-3 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in 38 minutes. Hayward ranks as the 61st overall nine-category fantasy option this season.
  • Terry Rozier: 25 points (9-17 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 2-3 FT), five rebounds, three assists and three steals over 32 minutes.

Ja dazzles in Brooklyn

• The Memphis Grizzlies are legit. Ja Morant was able to lead his team into Brooklyn and leave with a 118-104 road win. The electrifying point guard 36 points (14-22 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 6-10 FT), six rebounds and eight assists in 34 minutes as Memphis cruised to its fifth straight win. Morant is averaging 31.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists over the winning streak and has four straight 30-point outings. Do not sleep on Morant as a dark-horse MVP candidate. And at this point, he looks like a lock to make his first All-Star appearance.
  • Desmond Bane continues to shine in year No. 2 as he put in 29 points (12-23 FG, 5-11 3Pt, 0-1 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and two steals across 37 minutes in the victory. I am just going to throw this out here:
    • Bane's sophomore averages: 17.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 41.4 three-point percentage.
    • Klay Thompson's sophomore averages: 16.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 40.1 three-point percentage.
    • Just saying.
• Kevin Durant led Brooklyn in scoring during the loss, but it was not the most efficient day for the two-time champion. He ended with 26 points (8-24 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 8-9 FT), three rebounds, six assists, three blocks and three steals across 31 minutes. Durant still extended his streak of scoring at least 20 points to 15 games.
  • Cam Thomas may not have wowed in the box score, but I liked what I saw out of him as he helped try to push Brooklyn back in the game off the bench. He ended with just eight points (4-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt), three rebounds and three assists across 12 minutes of play, but I would not be surprised to see his playing time rise sooner than later.
  • James Harden finally cooled down with 19 points (5-14 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 7-8 FT), four rebounds, eight assists, one block and one steal in 32 minutes.

Pistons stun Bucks

• The Bucks had won six straight games and looked like their seventh win in a row would be a lock as they traveled to take on the last-place Pistons. However, Detroit had other plans and ended up winning the game 115-106. Saddiq Bey is simply on another level right now, as he finished with 34 points (12-22 FG, 8-13 3Pt, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and one steal over 38 minutes. "Headband 'Diq" is averaging 26.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists over his last five appearances.
  • Cade Cunningham made his return to the court after missing the team's last four showings as he was stuck in the league's health and safety protocols. He looked sharp in his first action back, dropping 19 points (8-15 FG, 3-7 3Pt), seven assists, four rebounds and one block over 37 minutes of action.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo neared a triple-double in the loss with 31 points (11-21 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 9-13 FT), 10 rebounds, seven assists and one steal across 35 minutes. Since returning from protocols, the two-time MVP is averaging 32.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 6.6 rebounds per game.
  • Khris Middleton missed the team's last contest due to personal reasons but returned for Monday's action. He struggled with just 10 points (3-10 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 3-3 FT), six rebounds and two assists over 27 minutes of play.
  • Jrue Holiday: 29 points (11-19 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five rebounds, five assists and two steals over 35 minutes.

Jimmy leaves early against Warriors

• The Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors were a part of a fairly tight contest for nearly three-quarters before Jimmy Butler exited with an ankle injury. The exact severity of the injury is unknown, but it is likely that the Heat star is forced to miss at least some time.
• The Warriors were able to end up victorious by a score of 115-108. This was a quiet game for Stephen Curry as he was limited to single-digit scoring for the first time this season. Instead, Jordan Poole was the main offensive threat for the Warriors, finishing with 32 points (12-17 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 3-5 FT), two rebounds and five assists across 26 minutes
  • Draymond Green: five points (2-5 FG, 1-3 3Pt), eight rebounds, 13 assists, four blocks and one steal in 36 minutes.
• Caleb Martin had one of his better offensive outings for the Heat despite the loss. He ended the game with  19 points (8-14 FG, 3-5 3Pt), nine rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals over 36 minutes. Martin has averaged 15.0 points and 7.0 rebounds while starting for Miami over the team's last four contests.
  • Miami's ability to find impressive talent out of nowhere is seriously incredible. Omer Yurtseven is balling out as of recent and finished Monday night with five points (2-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT), a career-high 17 rebounds, two assists and two steals in 33 minutes. The Turkish big-man is averaging 12.6 points and 15.0 rebounds per game over his last five showings.

Best and Worst of the Night

• Best of the Night: Trae Young - 56 points (17-26 FG, 7-12 3Pt, 15-15 FT), four rebounds and 14 assists in 37 minutes.
• Worst of the Night: Brandon Ingram - 10 points (3-18 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 3-4 FT), seven assists, four rebounds and one block in 31 minutes
• Rookie of the Night: Cade Cunningham - 19 points (8-15 FG, 3-7 3Pt), seven assists, four rebounds and one block over 37 minutes

Quick Hitters

• DeMar DeRozan and the Bulls defeated the Magic 102-98 to win their eighth straight contest in a row. It was not the easiest win for the Bulls, but they were still able to get it done as DeRozan scored a game-high 29 points (11-24 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 7-13 FT), three rebounds, two assists and one steal over 35 minutes of play.
  • Zach LaVine was close to matching DeRozan in scoring as he finished with 27 points (8-19 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 7-7 FT), three rebounds and one steal over 34 minutes.
• Wendell Carter had an impressive revenge game against the Bulls during the defeat, dropping in 21 points (8-15 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 4-5 FT), 10 rebounds, four assists and one steal over 35 minutes of action.
  • Franz Wagner keeps dropping buckets for Orlando, finishing with 22 points (8-13 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 5-5 FT), five rebounds, three assists and one steal over 28 minutes.
• Luka Doncic made his just second appearance after a lengthy absence due to both leg and COVID issues, but he was still able to drop 21 points (7-18 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 6-8 FT), eight rebounds, a season-high 15 assists and four steals across 34 minutes during the Mavericks' 103-89 win over Denver.
• Nikola Jokic was pretty much the Nuggets' only source of offense during the team's defeat to Dallas, finishing with 27 points (11-18 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 16 rebounds, three assists and two steals across 35 minutes.
• Joel Embiid continues to play at an MVP level as his 31 points (12-20 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 6-7 FT), 15 rebounds, 10 assists, two blocks and one steal triple-double helped push the 76ers to a 133-113 win over the Rockets. The All-NBA center is averaging 33.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game over Philadelphia's last seven games.
  • Furkan Korkmaz: 24 points (8-14 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 5-5 FT), 11 rebounds, six assists and one steal in 36 minutes
    • Garrison Mathews missed the Rockets' last four contests due to being stuck in health and safety protocols, but the wing finished with a team-high 23 points (6-10 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 7-8 FT), seven rebounds and one assist in 30 minutes during the loss to Philly.
• Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz to a 115-104 victory while dropping in 29 points (11-19 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five assists, three rebounds, three steals and one block across 34 minutes.
• Bojan Bogdanovic hit some clutch triples in the win, en route to a 21-point (8-17 FG, 5-11 3Pt) and three-rebound performance.
• Brandon Ingram made his first appearance back with the Pelicans after missing two straight games with Achilles soreness, but the wing struggled mightily. He finished with 10 points (3-18 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 3-4 FT), seven assists, four rebounds and one block in 31 minutes.
  • Jonas Valanciunas also made his return to the court after missing just one game due to COVID protocols. He faired better than Ingram in his return and ended with 25 points (9-18 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and two turnovers in 30 minutes.
• The Timberwolves came into Monday on a three-game losing streak but dismantled the Clippers for a 122-104 win. Anthony Edwards dropped a game-high 28 points (11-17 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 1-1 FT), two rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal over 33 minutes
  • Patrick Beverley faired well while facing his former team, ending with 11 points (3-10 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), three rebounds, 12 assists and two steals across 21 minutes.
• Serge Ibaka was really the only efficient offensive player for the Clippers during their defeat as he finished with a perfect 17 points (7-7 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, one assist and one block in 20 minutes

A Look Ahead to Tuesday Night

• Ja Morant and the Grizzlies look to stay hot against the Cavaliers
• Can the Lakers win their third straight contest when the Kings come to town?
• Chris Paul travels to his early career home, New Orleans, as the Suns face the Pelicans.
• Can the Spurs snap their three-game losing streak on the road in Toronto?