Around the Association: 10 Weekend Takeaways + Updated MVP Ladder

This article is part of our NBA Daily Recap series.

Weekend Notables

MVP Morant is for real

• The Grizzlies swept the weekend once again starting with a Friday night win over a short-handed Utah Jazz by a score of 119-109. Memphis pretty much held control over the entire game. Ja Morant shined as has been doing all season long, finishing with 30 points (10-22 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 8-13 FT), 10 rebounds, 10 assists, one block and one steal in 36 minutes. This marked the All-Star starter's first triple-double of the season. 
  • Brandon Clarke had one of his incredibly efficient performances that we have become used to seeing. The Gonzaga product ended with 22 points (9-12 FG, 4-4 FT), three rebounds, one assist and one steal across 25 minutes. Clarke's 24.9 PER ranks as the 11th-best in the entire league.
• Morant followed up his triple-double with yet another stand-out performance during Memphis' 115-95 win over the Wizards. He finished with 34 points (15-27 FG, 4-8 3Pt), three rebounds, two assists and one steal over 34 minutes to mark his sixth straight game reaching 30 points. Morant is averaging 35.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game over that span as he has clearly taken his game to another level as of recent.
  • Kyle Kuzma had another solid outing for Washington despite the losing effort. The improved wing totaled 30 points (11-17 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 4-6 FT), eight rebounds, three assists, one block and three steals in 36 minutes. Honestly, I was a little bit surprised to see that this was just Kuzma's second 30-point performance of the season. Nonetheless, Kuzma is still averaging 22.0 points per game since the start of the new year.

Embiid and Haliburton battle 

• One of the more thrilling games came in Philadelphia as the Sacramento Kings came into town. De'Aaron Fox (ankle) was sidelined for the contest, but that did seem to hinder the Kings at first as they got up to a nearly 20 point lead. However, Joel Embiid and company did not back down and ended up coming back to win the game 103-101 after Harrison Barnes missed a game-winning three.
• The elite center continued his absolute dominant play with 36 points (10-18 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 14-18 FT), 12 rebounds, six assists and one block across 35 minutes. Over the month of January, Embiid is averaging 34.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
  • Tyrese Maxey is really an underrated playmaker. The Kentucky product recorded 13 points (6-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 0-1 FT), two rebounds, seven assists and one steal during the win. Maxey's 4.7 assist per game ranks fourth amongst all sophomores.
• The main reason that the Kings were able to really test the 76ers was the incredible play out of Tyrese Haliburton. The second-year pro ended with a career-high 38 points (11-19 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 11-12 FT) and added seven assists, three rebounds and three steals across 40 minutes while drilling plenty of clutch three-pointers along the way.
  • Haliburton even had a chance to tie the game Sacramento with an open floater but opted to pass out to Barnes for the win instead. Fox has missed the last four games for the Kings while Haliburton has averaged 20.0 points, 4.3  rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game over that span. 

Warriors top Nets

• The Brooklyn Nets traveled to San Francisco to face the Warriors, but were without both Kevin Durant (knee) and James Harden (hand). After Golden State got off to an early lead, the Nets were able to storm back to make it a close contest. Klay Thompson drilled a clutch triple to ensure the Warriors' win as the team ended up victorious 110-106.
• Stephen Curry continued to struggle with his shot but still neared a triple-double with 19 points (5-18 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 6-6 FT), seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals over 35 minutes. Curry is shooting just 31.3 percent from deep over the month of January.
  • Andrew Wiggins looked deserving of his All-Star starter spot in this one. The wing totaled 24 points (10-18 FG, 4-8 3Pt), eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks across 37 minutes.
• Kyrie Irving was simply phenomenal in the losing effort. Acting as the only available star for Brooklyn, the elite ball-handler finished with 32 points (9-21 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 11-12 FT), seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 39 minutes. Irving has scored at least 20 points in three out of his last four appearances. Regardless, his status as only playing on the road will continue to hinder his season-long fantasy value

Triple-OT madness

• Perhaps the most thrilling game of the season occurred in Miami as the Raptors came into town. The game was tight throughout and Toronto found themselves down 100-98 as Scottie Barnes missed a tip-in in the buzzer. However, he was fouled and was able to sink two free throws to send the game into overtime.
• The game ended up going into three overtimes after Gabe Vincent was robbed of a half-court game-winner at the end of the second overtime due to an ill-timed Miami timeout. The Raptors ended up winning 124-120 after strong third overtime out of Fred VanVleet. The soon-to-be All-Star guard finished with 19 points (7-22 FG, 5-14 3Pt), eight assists, four rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 54 minutes. Every single Raptors starter played at least 54 minutes.
  • Gary Trent looked great in his 56, yes fifty-six, minutes of action. The Duke product ended with 33 points (13-28 FG, 5-15 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, one assist and five steals. This marked his third straight 30-point outing. 
• Despite the coming up short in the contest, Jimmy Butler balled out for Miami. The veteran wing 37 points (14-26 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 8-11 FT), 14 rebounds, 10 assists, two blocks and three steals in 52 minutes. Over the weekend, Butler averaged 31.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game.

Suns still on fire

• Another weekend and another undefeated two-game stretch by the Suns. It feels like every Monday, I am writing the same thing about Phoenix as it continues to be the most consistent team in the league.
• The Suns started their weekend with a 134-124 win over the Timberwolves. Chris Paul was fantastic in the win, posting his second triple-double of the year with 21 points (5-9 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 7-9 FT), 10 rebounds, 14 assists, one block and one steal across 37 minutes. Devin Booker was also dropping buckets in the win as he posted 29 points (10-26 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 10 rebounds, 14 assists, one steal and one block over 37 minutes. 
  • Anthony Edwards did all he could in Minnesota's loss, finishing with 27 points (9-20 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 5-6 FT), five rebounds, 10 assists, one block and four steals over 37 minutes. Over his last five games, Edwards is averaging 26.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per showing.
• Next, the Spurs came into town without the likes of Dejounte Murray and Jakob Poeltl, but were almost able to steal the win on the road. San Antonio was up by over 10 points in the fourth quarter, but Phoenix stormed back to win 115-110.
  • Paul assumed the role of Point God once again and ended with 20 points (9-16 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), eight rebounds, 19 assists, one steal and one block over 39 minutes. CP3 is averaging 10.3 assists per game this season, which would be his most since his 2013 season when he was a member of the Clippers. Phoenix has now won 10 straight games and sits at an NBA-best 40-9 with the All-Star break on the horizon. 

Sabonis returns 

• After missing the team's last five contests, Domantas Sabonis made his return to the court during Friday's contest against the Thunder and really showed his worth to the Pacers. OKC got up to a nearly 20 point lead in the third quarter, but the Pacers stormed back to send the game into overtime. The Pacers led by 113-110 and Kenrich Williams appeared to drill a game-tying three, but Indiana intentionally fouled a player before the shot.
• Sabonis recorded 24 points (9-16 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 6-9 FT), 18 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and two blocks in 44 minutes during the win. Sabonis averaged 22.5 points, 16.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game over the weekend.
  • Luguentz Dort had a really solid outing in the loss to Indiana, posting  27 points (10-16 FG, 3-9 3PT, 4-4 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and two steals across 41 minutes. The third-year pro ranks as the 26th overall nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis over the last week.

Spurs spoil DeRozan's return 

• DeMar DeRozan made his return to San Antonio when the Chicago Bulls traveled to Texas on Friday. The All-Star starter was incredible throughout the contest, but San Antonio was able to prevail to a 131-122 win behind yet another incredible outing from Dejounte Murray.
  • The All-Star hopeful neared a triple-double with 29 points (12-24 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT), nine rebounds, 12 assists and three steals in 37 minutes. However, Murray was forced to sit out San Antonio's Sunday contest against the Suns due to a knee contusion. Hopefully, the injury is nothing serious as Murray suffered a torn ACL prior in his career.
    • Jakob Poeltl feasted during the win down low, posting 21 points (9-12 FG, 3-5 FT), 11 rebounds, four assists and one block over 32 minutes. The Utah product has really improved his play as of late, averaging 15.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.1 blocks per game over his 15 appearances in January. 
• DeRozan may have ended with the loss, but he was still serving buckets to his former teammates all game long. The wing ended with 32 points (13-22 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 5-5 FT), six rebounds and eight assists across 36 minutes. Over his last six performances, DeRozan averaged 27.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game over the weekend.
  • After going nine straight games without reaching 30 points, Zach LaVine ended the loss with 30 points (10-23 FG, 2-10 3Pt, 8-9 FT), four rebounds, four assists and one block in 35 minutes. LaVine still ranks as the 31st overall nine-category option on a per-game basis this season.

The Hawks are officially here

• After some early-season troubles, the Atlanta Hawks are officially back in action. The Hawks defeated both the Celtics and Lakers over the weekend to roll to a 24-25 record as they now have won seven straight contests. Atlanta dominated the Celtics 108-92 in Boston behind a stellar team effort. Trae Young and John Collins both posted 21 points and nine rebounds in the victory. 
  • Despite the loss Jayson Tatum had a solid showing for Boston. The Duke product finished with 20 points (5-17 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 8-8 FT), six rebounds, four assists, one star and two locks over 36 minutes. Tatum built off this game when the Celtics defeated the Pelicans on Saturday by a score 107-97, while finishing with 38 points (17-26 FG, 4-13 3Pt), eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals over 37 minutes. Over his last four contests, Tatum is averaging 36.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
• Atlanta's next contest came against the LeBron James-less Lakers. Once again, Trae Young led the way as Atlanta won 129-121. The All-Star starter finished with 36 points (12-22 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 8-11 FT), five rebounds and 12 assists across 37 minutes. This marked his 12th game this year with at least 30 points and 10 assists. Do not sleep on Young's chances to be a sneaky MVP candidate if the Hawks continue their blazing hot play.
  • Speaking of the Lakers, the team has now dropped three straight games as James (knee) remains out. Malik Monk had a really good game against Atlanta, finishing with 33 points (12-19 FG, 8-14 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds and five assists across 38 minutes. Interestingly enough, in the teams' two matchups this season, Monk has averaged 31.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

Jokic keeps powering Nuggets

• Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are really starting to heat up. On Friday, The Joker dropped in 29 points (11-19 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 13 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals in 30 minutes while handling the Pelicans 116-105. This marked his 12th triple-double this season. 
  • Monte Morris had a really solid outing Friday as well. The point guard totaled 13 points (5-11 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, eight assists and one block in 33 minutes. 
• Next, the Nuggets had maybe their most impressive win of the season, completely dismantling the Bucks by a score of 136-100. Jokic impressed once again with 18 points (7-9 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), nine rebounds, 15 assists, three steals and one block in 28 minutes. The reiging MVP tied a season-high in assists while not even playing in the fourth quarter. 
  • Aaron Gordon impressed throughout the weekend for the Nuggets. The forward is starting to find his rhythm and role in Denver's offense as he averaged 22.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game over the weekend.
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo was certainly not be blamed for Milwaukee's blowout loss. The reigning Finals' MVP ended with 29 points (9-19 FG,1-5 3Pt, 10-15 FT), nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block over 30 minutes. Antetokounmpo averaged 33.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game over the weekend.

A pair of Sunday upsets

• Sunday brought to us a pair of two improbable upsets. The Cleveland Cavaliers came into Detroit and actually started the game up 15-0. However, the Pistons continued to chip away throughout the game and took over in the fourth quarter to win 115-105. Cade Cunningham balled out with 19 points (6-21 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), 10 rebounds, 10 assists, one block and three steals across 37 minutes to mark his second-career triple-double. 
  • Saddiq Bey also shined for the Pistons, ending with 31 points (11-20 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 6-6 FT), one rebound, three assists, one block and one steal across 36 minutes. This marked the second-year pro's fourth 30-point outing of the season.
  • Fellow rookie Evan Mobley had a productive outing in the loss. The rookie of the year favorite totaled 18 points (7-12 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-9 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and three blocks in 37 minutes. 
• The other upset Sunday came in Orlando during the Magic's contest against the Mavericks. Dallas got off to an early start and were leading by double-digits in the first-half. Orlando stormed back and made the game tight by the fourth quarter. Eventually, the Magic found themselves up 110-108 and Maxi Kleber's game-winning three-point shot rimmed out. This marked Orlando's second straight win.
  • Chuma Okeke really impressed me on both sides of the floor with 19 points (7-10 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 24 minutes. The Aubrun product has scored double-digit in five out of his last six showings.
    • Luka Doncic may have lost Sunday's contest, but he still impressed with 34 points (13-22 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 12 rebounds, 11 assists and one steal in 38 minutes. Doncic shined all weekend long and averaged 32.0 points, 9.0 assists and 11.5 assists per game over his two appearances. 

Best and Worst of the Weekend

• Best of the Weekend: Chris Paul - 20.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 16.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks across 38.5 minutes per game.
• Worst of the Weekend: Dennis Schroder - 3.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.5 blocks  across 15.5 minutes per game.
• Rookie of the Weekend: Franz Wagner - 21.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.5 steals per game across 29.0 minutes per game.

MVP Ladder

1. Joel Embiid (last week: 1)
2. Ja Morant (2)
3. Nikola Jokic (3)
4. Chris Paul (7)
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo (4)
6. Jimmy Butler (5)
7. Kevin Durant (6)
8. Stephen Curry (8)
9. Luka Doncic (NR)
10. LeBron James (9)

Next up: Trae Young, DeMar DeRozan 

A Look Ahead at Monday Night

• My top two MVP candidates face off when Ja Morant and the Grizzlies come to Philly to match up against Joel Embiid and the 76ers. 
• Eastern Conference rivals, the Heat and Celtics, square off in Boston.
• The Hawks look for their eight straight win when the Raptors come to town.
• The Cavaliers look to bounce back from Sunday's ugly loss to Detroit when the Pelicans travel to Cleveland.