Around the Association: 10 Fantasy Observations From the Weekend

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.

It was an action-packed weekend -- here is all you need to know:

LeBron goes off

• At 37-years-old, LeBron James continues to do the impossible. The struggling Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Warriors on Saturday night and Golden State got off to an early double-digit lead in the first half. However, James snapped in the second half and carried the Lakers back into the contest. 
• he future Hall-of-Famer ended with a season-best 56 points (19-31 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 12-13 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists and one block across 39 minutes while carrying LA to a 124-116 win. The historic effort was yet another standout performance from James this season while he ranks as the third overall nine-category fantasy option.
  • Carmelo Anthony had a productive outing in the win, drilling a dagger three to go with 14 points (5-18 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 2-3 FT), eight rebounds, one steal and one block over 24 minutes.
• The Warriors all of a sudden have found themselves in a bit of a slump as they have now lost four straight games. Stephen Curry was stellar in the losing effort to Los Angeles, posting 30 points (13-22 FG, 4-9 3Pt), four rebounds and one assist over 35 minutes. The world's greatest shooter is still performing well despite the recent losses, averaging 28.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists over four minutes. 

76ers continue to blossom

• James Harden continued to get adjusted to his new team as the season progresses. The 76ers split their two contests over the weekend, with a win over the Cavaliers and a loss to the Heat (without Harden). Harden is averaging 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 12.0 assists over his first four appearances with Philadelphia while the team has gone 4-0 in that span. The Beard ranks as the 17th overall nine-category fantasy player since joining the 76ers.
  • Joel Embiid is still playing some outstanding basketball for Philadelphia, but it does appear that Harden's addition does decrease Embiid's fantasy value slightly. The All-Star center has scored 30 or more points in two out of the four games he has played with Harden. While that is still nonetheless impressive, let's not forget that Embiid ripped off a stretch of reaching the 30-point mark in 15 out of 17 straight performances earlier this year
  • Tyrese Maxey in games with Harden: 26.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game

Tatum outduels KD in Boston

• Jayson Tatum was on another level during Boston's 126-120 win over the Nets. It was a tightly contested game throughout, but Tatum found another gear in the fourth quarter. The All-Star forward dropped in a season-high 54 points (16-30 FG, 8-15 3Pt, 14-17 FT), five rebounds and three assists across 41 minutes. Boston is 5-1 since the All-Star break while Tatum is averaging 34.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game over that span. 
  • Jaylen Brown (ankle) returned from a one-game absence and finished with 21 points (8-17 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five assists, four boards and three steals over 35 minutes while also drilling a dagger corner-three.
• Kevin Durant was not quite as good as Tatum in the loss, but still was dominant with 37 points (12-21 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 9-10 FT), six rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and one steal over 39 minutes. Since returning to the lineup, Durant is averaging 34.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. 

Timberwolves gaining steam

• The Minnesota Timberwolves continue to be one of the best teams post-All-Star break, winning four straight contests while going 5-1 since resuming play. Minnesota got it done this weekend with wins over a pair of tanking teams in the Thunder and Trail Blazers.
• Karl-Anthony Towns was a monster in Saturday's win against Portland, dropping in 36 points (13-17 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 10-11 FT), 15 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 34 minutes. The dynamic center has averaged 26.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals per since the All-Star break. The Timberwolves sit at 36-29, good for seventh in the West.
  • D'Angelo Russell over the weekend: 15.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 11.0 assists and 2.0 steals. 

Mavs rally against Kings

• One of the wildest games of the season took place in Dallas when the Kings came into town. Sacramento found itself up by double-digits in the third quarter, but a Luka Doncic-less Mavericks team was able to come back and take the lead late. With the game tied, Dorian Finney-Smith was able to drill a corner three-pointer in the final seconds to win the game for Dallas
  •  Spencer Dinwiddie was outstanding in the comeback win, totaling 36 points (11-22 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 12-13 FT) while adding seven assists and two rebounds in 36 minutes. The newly acquired point guard is averaging 22.2 points, 6.0 assists, 2.2 threes and 2.0 boards over his last five outings. 
• Despite the losing effort, De'Aaron Fox was simply unstoppable. The 24-year-old tied a career-high with 44 points (18-31 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 5-6 FT) while adding six assists, two rebounds and a steal in 40 minutes. Fox is quietly starting to go off in the latter half of the season, averaging 28.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game since the start of February.

Porzingis makes his Wizards debut

• While Spencer Dinwiddie shined for the Mavericks, Kristaps Porzingis gave Washington a first glimpse at what he can bring to the table. The 26-year-old forward made his Wizards debut and dropped in 25 points (7-12 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 8-10 FT), five rebounds and two blocks over 21 minutes while coming up clutch in the team's 133-123 win over the Pacers. Maybe the fresh start could be a good thing for Porzingis.
  • I am curious to see how the addition of the former Maverick affects Kyle Kuzma's production. Kuz has really come into his own this season and dropped 23 points (8-17 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 5-7 FT), five rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and one steal across 36 minutes in his first game playing with Porzingis. 

Down goes Allen

• The Cleveland Cavaliers may have defeated the Raptors 104-96 on Sunday, but it did not come without a price. Jarrett Allen suffered a fractured finger and will be out indefinitely. This is obviously a crushing blow to perhaps the most improved team in the league this season. 
  • Evan Mobley will be called upon more to lead the frontcourt with Allen on the sidelines. The Rookie of the Year favorite ended with 20 points (9-15 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 1-5 FT), 17 rebounds, four assists and three blocks across 36 minutes Sunday. Cleveland is currently 6th in the East at 37-27. 

Cam Johnson goes off

• The Suns continue to be without their two main stars in Chris Paul (thumb) and Devin Booker (health and safety protocols), but Cameron Johnson has started to find his groove in his teammate's absences. He specifically shined in Friday's contest against the Knicks in which Phoenix found itself down by double-digits in the third. Johnson was able to will his team back with a plethora of three-pointers before drilling a deep bank-shot game-winner to win the game 113-112. The UNC product ended with a career-high 38 points (11-16 FG, 9-12 3Pt, 7-8 FT), two rebounds and one steal in 28 minutes.
  • Johnson has averaged 23.4 points per game over his last five outings, but was held out of Sunday's loss to the Bucks due to a quad injury. 
• This game also marked yet another rough loss for the Knicks. Julius Randle was having a productive game before losing his temper and getting ejected as New York now sits at 26-28. The one big positive takeaway for New York has to be the play of RJ Barrett. The Duke product is averaging 28.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists post-All-Star break.
   

Jokic wills Nuggets over Pels in OT

• Nikola Jokic may have put up the best individual performance of his career Sunday night. The reigning MVP put Denver on his back and carried the team to a 138-130 overtime win over New Orleans.
  • The Joker ended with 46 points (16-22 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 11-12 FT), 12 rebounds, 11 assists, four blocks and three steals across 43 minutes, while scoring 30 of his points in the fourth quarter and in overtime. Jokic, Giannis Antetkounmpo, Joel Embiid, Joel Morant and many others continue to dazzle us with historic performances left and right this season.
    • Aaron Gordon had a really strong performance in the win, as well. The high-flying forward was dunking everything en route to 28 points (9-17 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 10-15 FT), eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks over 42 minutes.
• Despite the loss, this was another solid performance out of the Pelicans since the All-Star break ended. Brandon Ingram was sharp in the win as he ended with 38 points (12-24 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 11-13 FT), nine assists, five rebounds and one block in 40 minutes. New Orleans is 4-1 since the All-Star break. 
• Denver is set to host the Warriors on Monday night in a COVID-19 make-up game from earlier in the season. Unhappy with the reschedule date, Steve Kerr will not send Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins or Klay Thompson to Denver as a personal protest, of sorts.

Milwaukee's strong weekend

• The Milwaukee Bucks battled their way through their weekend to wins over both the Bulls and the Suns. Giannis Antetokounmpo carried the team to their 118-112 win in Chicago with 34 points (12-22 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 10-19 FT), 16 rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block over 38 minutes. The two-time MVP is averaging 26.8 points and 15.5 rebounds per game over Milwaukee's four-game winning streak.
• Khris Middleton had his best outing of the season during Sunday's victory over the Suns. The veteran wing willed his team to victory while dropping 44 points (16-27 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 7-7 FT), eight rebounds, five assists and one steal over 36 minutes. Since the All-Star break, Middleton is averaging 27.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists over 34.8 minutes per game.

Best and Worst of the Weekend

• Best of the Weekend: LeBron James - 56 points (19-31 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 12-13 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists and one block across 39 minutes 
• Worst of the Weekend: Matisse Thybulle - 0.0 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.5 assists over 19.0 minutes per game.
• Rookie of the Weekend: Jalen Green - 21.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists over 33.5 minutes per game. 

A Look Ahead to Monday Night

• The Bulls look to figure it out against the NBA's best when they travel to Philadelphia
• The Timberwolves look to keep hot against the Trail Blazers
• The Mavericks and Jazz battle in Dallas
• The Nuggets and shorthanded Warriors square off in Denver