Around the Association: 10 Things To Know Since The All-Star Break

This article is part of our NBA Daily Recap series.

Welcome to Around the Association! Four days per week (Monday through Thursday), 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.

We haven't caught up since the season resumed post-All-Star break. Here is everything you need to know about what has happened since:

Scary hours in Philly

• It is officially scary hours in Philadelphia now that James Harden has arrived. The 76ers have gone 2-0 in Harden's first two appearances with the team with crushing wins over the Timberwolves and Knicks. The All-Star guard is averaging 28.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 14.0 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.
  • Harden's arrival is seeming to only benefit Joel Embiid. The MVP candidate has averaged 35.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 2.0 blocks per game over his first two outings appearing alongside his new teammate. Embiid currently ranks as the fourth overall nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis. Are the 76ers the team to beat in the East?
  • Tyrese Maxey: 24.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game in his first two appearances with Harden.

Ja and DeMar battle it out

• The Memphis Grizzlies came into Chicago looking to snap the Bulls' seven-game winning streak. Memphis got off to a fast start, but Chicago was able to storm back late. However, the Grizzlies hung on to a 116-110 win.
• Ja Morant was sensational, finishing with a new-career-high 46 points (15-28 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 13-15 FT) to go with four rebounds, three assists and one steal in 36 minutes. The star guard has firmly cemented himself in legit MVP talks this season.
  • Steven Adams: 12 points (5-9 FG, 2-4 FT), 21 rebounds, five assists and two blocks in 35 minutes
• DeMar DeRozan continued his incredible streak despite the losing effort as he dropped in 31 points (10-29 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 9-10 FT), seven rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals across 42 minutes. The All-Star starter has now reached at least 30-points in 10 straight outings for the Bulls.
  • Zach LaVine: 28 points (9-19 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 7-7 FT), four rebounds, six assists and one steal over 38 minutes

Spurs and Wizards wild 2-OT thriller

• One of the wildest games of the season came out of Washington as the Spurs and the Wizards took part in a thrilling double-overtime game. The Spurs were up by eight points with nearly a minute left in regulation, but the Wizards were able to storm back to extend the contest. The Spurs were able to prevail in two overtimes and finished with a 157-153 win.
•  Dejounte Murray did his thing and finished with 31 points (12-20 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 6-6 FT) and added 14 assists and 13 rebounds across 43 minutes. The All-Star guard was held out of the team's loss to Miami on Saturday but is not on the injury report for Monday.
  • Keldon Johnson had a career outing as he finished with a personal-best 32 points (10-20 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 7-7 FT), seven rebounds and two assists in 46 minutes. Johnson was also held out Saturday due to a hip injury, but he has now topped 22 or more points in four out of his last seven appearances. 
  • Jakob Poeltl: 28 points (12-15 FG, 4-8 FT), 11 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks over 41 minutes.
• Kyle Kuzma continues to impress as Washington remains short-handed. The improving wing dropped in 36 points (13-27 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 7-8 FT), eight rebounds, seven assists, one block and two steals in 46 minutes Kuzma is averaging 35.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in the Wizards' first two games back from All-Star break.
  • Raul Neto dropped in a clutch 22 points (9-15 FG, 4-7 3Pt), four rebounds, nine assists and one steal across 36 minutes. Since entering the starting lineup after the Spencer Dinwiddie trade, Neto is averaging 14.3 points, 5.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 29.5 minutes.
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: 24 points (7-14 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 6-6 FT), one rebound, four assists and two steals over 42 minutes.
• On the day of the All-Star Game, the Suns were hit with the brutal news that Chris Paul will be out six-to-eight weeks with a thumb injury. This is obviously a crushing blow as Phoenix will be without its veteran point guard's league-leading 10.7 assists per game. The Suns have dropped two out of their first three games since resuming play after the break, with losses to the Pelicans and Jazz.
• Devin Booker is taking on more playmaking duties, as he's averaged 28.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game in his first three outings without Paul. While CP3's absence is a clear negative for the Suns as a team, Booker does rank as the eighth overall-nine category fantasy option over the past week.
  • Cameron Johnson has entered the starting lineup for Phoenix in place for Paul and has impressed in his first three starts since. The UNC product is averaging 19.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game since the Suns have returned to the court while ranking as the 28th overall nine-category fantasy option over that span as well.

RJ Barrett explodes in loss

• The Miami Heat were able to take care of business 115-100 against the Knicks in New York. Tyler Herro proved why he is the heavy favorite for the sixth man of the year as he dropped in a team-high 25 points (9-18 FG, 3-6 Ft, 4-8 3Pt), seven rebounds, two assists and three steals over 31 minutes. Herro is averaging 26.0 points per game in his first two showings post-All-Star break, 
  • Bam Adebayo had a solid weekend for the Heat and ended it with a 36-point (14-21 FG, 8-12 FT), seven-rebound, four-assist, three-block and two-steal performance during a 133-129 win over the Spurs on Saturday. 
• The Knicks may have lost, but RJ Barrett still had a career-outing in the loss. The Duke product finished with a career-high 46 points (13-22 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 14-22 FT) and added nine rebounds and two assists across 38 minutes. Barrett is averaging 28.3 points per game since the start of February as he is starting to find his scoring rhythm in Year 3.

 Lakers: Still a complete mess

• The Lakers had a chance to exit the All-Star break on a high note and begin a playoff push, but instead Los Angeles continued its rocky play over the weekend. The Lakers lost a close one to the Clippers on Friday before following that up with an embarrassing blowout loss to the Pelicans at home Sunday night.
• With Anthony Davis (foot) out once again for an extended period of time, much of the Lakers' offense will be placed into LeBron James' hands.
  • Since returning from after the break, James is averaging 26.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. The Lakers now sit at 27-33 and are in legit danger of missing the playoffs altogether. 

Mavs mount huge comeback against Dubs

• The Warriors suffered perhaps their worst loss of the season Sunday night. The Mavericks were in town and the Warriors held control of much of the contest, entering the fourth quarter leading by 16 points. However, Luka Doncic and company were able to storm away in the fourth quarter to a 107-101 road victory.
• Doncic continues to be unstoppable, ending with 34 points (10-21 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 11-12 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals over 37 minutes. The All-Star is averaging 34.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game since February. Is it too late for Doncic to sneak his way into the MVP conversation?
  • Spencer Dinwiddie was fantastic late in the contest while coming off the bench as he totaled 24 points (10-14 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-4 FT), four rebounds, five assists and one block in the win. The veteran point guard has reached at least 20 points in his first two appearances post-All-Star break. 
• Stephen Curry went viral with some absurd pre-game shooting and produced a solid outing in the loss. The 33-year-old guard ended the contest with 27 points (11-25 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 2-4 FT), four rebounds, two steals across 38 minutes. In his first two games since the All-Star break, Curry has recorded back-to-back double-doubles while averaging 22.5 points and 12.0 assists over that span.
  • Klay Thompson missed the game with an illness.

SGA shines in return

• One of the better players since the All-Star break has been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The young star had missed the Thunder's last 10 games heading into the break, but he was back healthy for Thursday's game against Phoenix, which he finished with 32 points and five assists.
  • OKC has split its first two games back, losing to the Suns then beating the Pacers, but Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 34.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game over that span. A healthy SGA completely changes the outlook for this Thunder team, though they'll once again be angling for the No. 1 overall pick down the stretch. 

Kyrie carries Nets in Milwaukee

• In a rematch of last year's playoffs, the Nets were able to get their revenge against the Bucks. The Nets were able to hang on to a 126-123 win after a clutch block from Andre Drummond on Giannis Antetokounmpo.
• Kyrie Irving was simply unstoppable in the win, ending with a season-high 38 points (14-26 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 8-9 FT), five rebounds, five assists and two steals in 39 minutes. Reports over the weekend implied that Irving may become fully eligible for home games sometime in March, which would be a major boost for Brooklyn's chances going forward.
  • In their first game together since their days at Duke, Seth Curry joined Irving in leading the Nets to victory. The recently acquired guard went for 19 points (6-11 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three assists, one rebound, one steal and one block across 29 minutes.Curry is averaging 19.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game since joining the Nets. 
• Bobby Portis had one of his better outings in the loss, as he exploded for 30 points (11-18 FG, 8-14 3Pt, 0-2 FT) and 12 rebounds in 36 minutes. The sharpshooting forward has now reached 30 points two times this season.
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo was not as efficient as he usually is, but still ended with an impressive 29 points (8-20 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 12-16 FT), 14 rebounds, six assists and one steal across 36 minutes. The Greek Freak currently ranks as the eighth-best nine-category player on a per-game basis over the past two months. 
  • Khris Middleton: 25 points (8-13 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 6-8 FT), three rebounds and seven assists in 36 minutes

Denver keeps rolling

• If you haven't been already, it's time to start taking Denver seriously. The Nuggets have been red-hot since returning from the All-Star break, racking up three straight wins while beating the Kings twice and Trail Blazers once. Nikola Jokic was unstoppable as he averaged 17.0 points, 13.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game over the team's three wins.
• Denver has won eight of its last 10 games, and it sounds as though the likes of Jamal Murray (knee) and Michael Porter (back) will return sooner rather than later. With Jokic playing at an all-time level, the Nuggets are legit contenders as they continue to get back to full strength. 

Best and Worst of the Weekend

• Best: Joel Embiid - 35.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 2.0 blocks
• Worst: Malik Monk - 3.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game
• Best rookie: Cade Cunningham - 20.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

Looking forward to Monday Night

• Markelle Fultz makes his season debut when the Magic battle the Pacers in Orlando.
• The Bulls and Heat square off in Miami.
• The Timberwolves and Cavs meet in Cleveland.
• Ja Morant looks to build off his career-performance when the Spurs travel to Memphis.