Around the Association: While you were watching March Madness

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.

Most of the world has had their eyes glued to the college basketball scene as March Madness kicked off on Thursday. However, that does not mean that the NBA slows down. Here is everything you need to know from last Thursday until Sunday:

What you missed 

Another T'Wolves statement

• The Minnesota Timberwolves will not slow down since the All-Star break ended. The Timberwolves improved their record to 42-30 after a strong 138-119 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Minnesota has now won four straight games and has won nine of its past 10 showings. Karl-Anthony Towns continued upon his dominant season with 25 points (6-12 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 9-11 FT), 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals over 32 minutes. KAT is, unfortunately, dealing with a lingering forearm contusion and is questionable Monday's contest against Dallas. 
  • Anthony Edwards had a big game in the win, dropping in 25 points (9-16 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, four assists and three steals across 33 minutes. The second-year guard has been a bit inconsistent as of late, scoring over 25 points in three out of his last six contests while failing to top 16 points in the other half of those outings.

LeBron just won't slow down

• The Lakers may have split their two contests since Thursday, but LeBron James was once again incredible for Los Angeles. The 37-year-old averaged a ridiculous 37.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game over the team's two showings. James etched his name further into history over the weekend, passing Karl Malone for second on the NBA's all-time scoring list. James' 29.8 points per game mark would be the third-best of his entire career and his highest since he was 22-years-old.
  • Russell Westbrook has strung together some quality performances for the Lakers, averaging 22.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game over their recent two-game span. The veteran point guard even helped save the day during the Lakers' overtime win over the Raptors, drilling a clutch three at the end of regulation. Westbrook has struggled throughout most of the season, but hopefully, these two outings indicate better things to come. 

Morant goes down

• One of the most overlooked aspects of the season is the fact that the Memphis Grizzlies currently sit at 49-23, good for second in the Western Conference. The team fell to the Hawks on Friday by a score 120-105, but more importantly, Ja Morant exited the contest in the second half due to a knee injury. The star point guard still ended the contest with 29 points (11-23 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 7-9 FT), three rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes. Morant was held out of the team's win over the Rockets on Sunday and is questionable moving forward. Hopefully, for Morant's fantasy managers, the guard makes his return to the court soon.
  • Desmond Bane led the way in Sunday's win without Morant, totaling 24 points (8-13 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 5-5 FT), five rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 32 minutes. Bane sits as the 40th overall nine-category fantasy option this season. 

Life without Curry

• The Warriors were hit with crushing news that Stephen Curry will be sidelined for at least three weeks as he suffered a foot injury during Wednesday's loss to Boston. This is horrible news for the Warriors, but the team is still in a solid position at 47-24 and should have no issues making the playoffs.
• Golden State has played one game since Curry suffered the injury, falling 110-108 to the Spurs on Sunday. Jordan Poole took over at point guard for the Warriors and impressed with 28 points (11-21 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds and three assists over 36 minutes during the loss. Poole is absolutely on fire as of recent, averaging 25.1 points over his last nine outings and ranking as the 16th best nine-category fantasy option over the past two weeks. With Curry out of the lineup, Poole's value is at an all-time high right now.
  • Klay Thompson produced with Curry out of the lineup, ending with 24 points (9-22 FG, 6-12 3Pt), three rebounds and one steal over 38 minutes. The veteran wing is starting to find his groove, averaging 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game over his last six appearances. 

Celtics keep rolling

• The Boston Celtics have been red-hot since the All-Star break, going 8-2 in their last 10 appearances. They rolled through the weekend with wins over the Kings and Nuggets. Jayson Tatum continues to make his late-season All-NBA push, averaging 31.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game over Boston's last two outings. Over the last weeks the forward ranks as the third-best nine-category fantasy option. 
  • Jaylen Brown had himself a strong weekend, averaging 30.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game over Boston's two victories. The wing is starting to get hot, totaling at least 25 points in each of his last three outings. 

Suns stay hot

• The Suns are starting to run away with the regular season right before our eyes. Phoenix is off to another five-game winning streak and sits at 58-14, nine games ahead of the second-place Grizzlies. The Suns first made a statement over the Bulls with a 129-102 win before rallying back to beat the Kings on Sunday by a score 127-124 in overtime. Devin Booker was fabulous in the wins, averaging 29.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Since the All-Star break, Booker is averaging an impressive 28.2 points per game, nearly three more figures than his total before the break.
  • Mikal Bridges continues to step up for the Suns, posting at least 20 points in three out of his last four appearances. Over the past two weeks, Bridges ranks as the 28th overall nine-category fantasy option. 

Sabonis shines before exiting

• On top of the Kings going 0-2 on the weekend, Domantas Sabonis exited Sunday's loss to the Suns due to a knee injury. The severity of the injury is unknown, but the loss is obviously a huge blow for the Kings if he is forced to miss any time. Sabonis was averaging a strong 24.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in his last three games leading up to Sunday. The recently acquired forward seems to be fitting in well with his new team, but injuries that haunted him in Indiana are already starting to pop up with Sacramento. 
  • The Kings have a chance to be without both Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox (hand) this next week. This gives Davion Mitchell another chance to receive more opportunities. The rookie out of Baylor ended Sunday's game with a career-best 28 points (9-22 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 6-6 FT), three rebounds, nine assists and one steal over 46 minutes. 
  • Sacramento is one of three teams with only two games on its schedule for the week ahead.

Barnes goes bananas 

• Scottie Barnes must like playing against LeBron James. Despite Toronto still taking the overtime loss to the Lakers, the rookie went off for a personal-high 31 points (14-21 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 17 rebounds, six assists and one steal in 42 minutes. The strong outing brought Barnes' averages against the Lakers up to 26.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. The FSU product continues to be one of the best rookies in his class, ranking as the 63rd overall nine-category fantasy player in his first season.

76ers handle Mavs

• One of the more anticipated games over the weekend came in Philadelphia when the Mavericks came into town. The 76ers were able to power through to a powerful 111-101 win over Luka Doncic and company. Joel Embiid did his thing, dropping in 32 points (11-20 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 8-9 FT), eight rebounds, four assists, one block and five steals across 34 minutes. The MVP candidate has gone for 30 or more in four out of his last five showings. 
  • James Harden was productive in the win too, totaling 24 points (6-14 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 9-10 FT), seven rebounds, 12 assists, one block and two steals across 42 minutes. Since joining the 76ers, Harden is averaging 22.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game.
• Philadelphia's defense stifled Donci,c who only ended with 17 points (5-20 FG, 2-10 3Pt, 5-9 FT), seven rebounds, 10 assists and one block over 35 minutes.
  • The young star was able to bounce back promptly with 37 points (13-20 FG, 8-12 3Pt, 3-5 FT) during Saturday's 129-108 loss to the Hornets, but regardless it was another Mavericks' loss. Dallas is still in a good spot at 43-28, good for fifth in the West.

Saddiq Bey goes for 51

• The NBA had just one game on Thursday, clearing the way for the NCAA Tournament to tip off. However, that lone game featured one of the best outings of the season as Saddiq Bey poured in a career-best 51 points (17-27 FG, 10-14 3Pt, 7-10 FT), nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in 39 minutes during a 134-120 win over Orlando. While this can't be expected to be repeated as both Jerami Grant and Cade Cunningham were inactive, this was yet another explosive outing that we have seen in the month of March.
  • Jerami Grant made his return to the lineup for Saturday's loss to Cavs and shined with 40 points (13-22 FG, 7-9 3Pt, 7-7 FT), two rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 35 minutes. Grant will be rested for the team's contest on Monday, but he continues to play good ball since the All-Star break, averaging 25.8 points per game over his last four contests. 

Quick hitters 

• Kevin Durant went off for 38 points (11-15 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 14-15 FT), six rebounds, six assists and one block during a 128-123 win over the Trail Blazers.
  • Portland has lost four games in a row, but Josh Hart has averaged 24.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game over that span. 
  • Hart will sit out Monday night on the second half of a back-to-back.
• CJ McCollum powered the Pelicans to two straight victories, averaging 22.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game across the outings.
• Tyler Herro dropped in 26 points (9-13 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 6-6 FT), seven rebounds and four assists while leading the Heat to a 120-108 win over the Thunder. The Sixth Man of the Year favorite has lifted his game to an even high level, averaging 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game post-All-Star break.
• Kristaps Porzingis had his best game as a Wizard during Washington's 127-119 win over the Lakers, finishing with 27 points (9-17 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 8-10 FT), three rebounds, five assists and one steal across 26 minutes.
• Donovan Mitchell snapped on the Knicks, producing 36 points (11-21 FG, 7-12 3Pt, 7-7 FT), eight rebounds, six assists and one steal over 37 minutes in Utah's 108-93 win in New York.

Looking ahead to a loaded Monday night

• LeBron James travels back to his home state when the Lakers battle the Cavs in Cleveland.
• Devonte' Graham (hip) hopes to be active for his revenge game in Charlotte.
• The Heat and 76ers are set to square off in Philadelphia.
• The Jazz look to stay undefeated in New York when they take on the Nets.
• The Bulls look to get out of their recent 2-8 funk when the Raptors travel to Chicago.
• The red-hot Timberwolves face Luka Doncic and the Mavericks in Dallas.