Around the Association: Embiid Still Rolling, Murray Stays Hot, New-Look Blazers + Updated NBA Ladder

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 a wild weekend -- here is everything you need to know: 

Weekend notables

Embiid keeps shining

• The 76ers made a major splash during the week as they finally parted ways with Ben Simmons in exchange for James Harden. The trade has been processed, but Philadelphia was still without Harden over the weekend.
• Joel Embiid took advantage of his short-handed roster and dominated once again while leading the 76ers to wins over both the Thunder and the Cavaliers. The star center averaged 32.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.5 blocks per game over the weekend. Embiid perhaps had his best all-around performance of the season against the Cavs on Saturday, finishing with 40 points (11-22 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 14-15 FT), 14 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals across 33 minutes.
  • The 76ers are a dangerous team and will be adding Harden shortly after the All-Star break. It will be interesting to see how Embiid's fantasy value changes with the arrival of Harden.
  • Paul Reed is a player I want to point out for Philly. The forward out of DePaul was drafted in the late second round last season, but immediately shined in the G League as he was named last year's MVP. Although he had an ugly missed dunk over the weekend, Reed has started to crack the lineup now with Andre Drummond being sent to Brooklyn. Reed averaged 6.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game over the weekend and is a player I am monitoring in deeper fantasy leagues.

Klay gets hot late against Lakers

• One of the best matchups of the weekend came in San Francisco as LeBron James and the Lakers came into town to face off against the Warriors. The game was tightly contested throughout and the Lakers found themselves down 117-114 with the ball as James was fouled on a game-tying three-point attempt.
  • The 37-year-old missed the first of his three free throws and the Warriors left the game with a 117-115 win. Klay Thompson was the X factor for Golden State in the win. The sharpshooting wing finished with 33 points (12-22 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 4-5 FT) and five rebounds over 30 minutes, while 16 of those points came in the fourth quarter. Thompson finding his rhythm is a scary sight for the rest of the league.
    • Jonathan Kuminga continues to wow just about every time he touches the floor. The athletic 19-year-old ended with 18 points (8-11 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-3 FT), nine rebounds and one block in 25 minutes as he is quickly turning into of the NBA's best human highlight reels. Kuminga has now reached double-digit scoring in six consecutive contests while he is averaging 16.7 points per game over that span.
• Overall, this was a good game for the Lakers and it did show that they can still hang in with the NBA's best any given night. LeBron James may have come up short from the free-throw line late, but he still made NBA history as he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most combined regular-season and postseason points in NBA history. He ended with 26 points (9-27 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 5-9 FT), 15 rebounds and eight assists over 38 minutes during Saturday's loss.
  • Russell Westbrook had one his better games as of recent during the loss, finishing with 19 points (7-13 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), seven rebounds, five assists and one steal over 35 minutes during Saturday's 117-115 loss to the Warriors. The veteran point guard has had quite the rocky start to his Lakers' career but this was one of his more encouraging showings of the year.

DeMar and the Bulls make a statement

• The Bulls got back on the right track this weekend and were able to handle both the Timberwolves and the Thunder in Chicago. DeMar DeRozan was absolutely unstoppable once again as he topped 30 points in both of the team's wins, extending his streak to six consecutive games reaching that threshold. The All-Star starter has averaged 37.2 points, 6.0 rebounds 5.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game over that six-game span while 56.8 percent shooting from the field. DeRozan has firmly planted himself into the MVP conversation.
  • Ayo Dosunmu got back into rhythm for the Bulls over their two wins. The Chicago native averaged 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game over the weekend. Dosunmu also averaged 42.0 minutes per game over the weekend as he continues to take advantage of the Bulls' injury woes. 
  • It was not all good things for Chicago this weekend. Zach LaVine was held out of Saturday's contests against the Thunder with a knee issue and is reportedly going to be seeing a specialist to check it out. Hopefully, it is nothing too serious for the All-Star guard as Chicago continues to be decimated by injuries all season long. 
    • Coby White entered the starting lineup for Zach LaVine on Saturday. White had an awesome weekend for the Bulls, including a clutch, 22-point (8-12 FG, 6-10 3Pt), six-rebound, one-assist and two-steal performance during Friday's win over Minnesota. The UNC product averaged 19.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game over the weekend.

Trail Blazers stun Knicks

• Fresh off of a win over the Warriors, the Knicks appeared to be easy favorites as they headed to Portland to take on the reshaped Trail Blazers' roster. New York found itself up by over 20 points in the third quarter and held a double-digit lead with just 10 minutes to play.
• Anfernee Simons put Portland on his back and powered the Trail Blazers to a 112-103 win. The emerging guard finished with 30 points (11-23 FG, 6-12 3Pt, 2-3 FT), five rebounds and eight assists in 37 minutes. Portland has now won two straight games while Simons is averaging 29.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game over that span.
  • Justise Winslow is surprisingly turning into one of the players whose fantasy value has increased the most since the deadline. The veteran wing finished Saturday's win with 14 points (5-10 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 3-3 FT), five rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal over 37 minutes.
    • Winslow has started in each of his first three games as a Trail Blazer and has averaged 12.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.3 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 threes across 34.3 minutes per game. If you have room to add him in your fantasy league, he's looking like a potential second-half gem.
• Despite yet another loss, Julius Randle continued to get back to his All-Star form. The forward ended the defeat with 28 points (8-20 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 12-13 FT), 16 rebounds and six assists over 41 minutes. Randle is averaging 29.2 points, 12.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists over his last five showings. 
  • Quentin Grimes started the contest with RJ Barrett (ankle) sidelined. The rookie recorded 20 points (6-10 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 3-6 FT), four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 37 minutes. Any first-year player seeing those types of minutes on a Tom Thibodeau-coached team is something to take note of. 

Celtics figuring out 

• The Celtics are quickly emerging as a legitimate threat in the deep Eastern Conference. Boston has now won eight straight contests after defeating both the Nuggets and the Hawks. Jayson Tatum had a monstrous weekend for the Celtics as he averaged 31.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game over Boston's two victories.
• Tatum was key in Sunday's comeback 105-95 win over Atlanta, ending with 38 points (13-27 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 8-9 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 40 minutes. The All-Star ranks as the 23rd overall nine-category fantasy option over the past month and he is one of the reasons that Boston now boasts a 33-25 record.
  • Derrick White made his Celtics debut over the weekend as he was acquired on the deadline from San Antonio in exchange for Josh Richardson and two future first-rounders. The Colorado product looked good with his new team and averaged 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steal in 28.5 minutes per game off the bench over the weekend.

Luka's big outing not enough against Clips

• The Clippers and Mavericks squared off Saturday night while Los Angeles held control for most of the game. However, Luka Doncic went to a whole another level late in the fourth and willed Dallas to pull within just two points in the final seconds. Doncic had a three-point look to win the game but air-balled the attempt and the Clippers remained victorious by a score of 99-97.
• Reggie Jackson had an impressive game for Los Angeles, ending with 24 points (10-21 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-5 FT), eight assists, five rebounds, two steals and one block across 40 minutes. 
  • Terance Mann: 21 points (9-15 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-3 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and one steal in 35 minutes.
• Despite coming up short with his final attempt, Doncic was absolutely incredible in the loss. The All-Star was making one of the greatest single-handed comebacks I have ever seen before missing that final shot. Doncic ended with 45 points (15-33 FG, 6-13 3Pt, 9-13 FT), 15 rebounds and eight assists across 39 minutes. In the first two contests since Kristaps Porzingis has been traded -- both against the Clippers -- Doncic is averaging a casual 48.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. The 22-year-old is flat-out special.
  • Jalen Brunson: 22 points (8-17 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 2-4 FT), four rebounds and three assists over 39 minutes.

Jokic impresses once again

• The Nuggets may have split their two contests over the weekend, but Nikola Jokic continued upon his dominant season. The reigning MVP first finished with his 15th triple-double of the season during Friday's loss to Boston as he totaled 23 points (9-20 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 2-4 FT), 16 rebounds, 11 assists and two blocks in 34 minutes. To put things in perspective, Jokic recorded 15 triple-doubles throughout all of last season's campaign. He currently leads the league in that department. 
• Denver was able to bounce back to a clutch 110-109 victory in Toronto on Saturday. The Raptors had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but Jokic was able to reject OG Anunoby's last-second attempt. This marked Jokic's third game-winning block of the season. He averaged 25.5 points, 15.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per game over the weekend.

Dejounte and the Spurs show out

• The Spurs had an impressive weekend as they were able to handle both the Hawks and the Pelicans by double-digits. Dejounte Murray was playing like a superstar, first putting up 32 points (11-18 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 8-9 FT), 10 rebounds, and a career-high 15 assists and four steals in 32 minutes during Friday's win over Atlanta. 
  • Keldon Johnson was also impressive in the win over the Hawks, totaling 26 points (8-13 FG, 6-8 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds and five assists across 33 minutes. The forward is averaging 22.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game over his last four showings.
• Murray was at it once again during Saturday's win over New Orleans, ending with 31 points (13-22 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-3 FT), seven rebounds, 12 assists and two steals in 35 minutes during the 124-114 victory.  It seems that the departure of Derrick White may push Murray's game to an even higher level than before. Murray averaged 31.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 13.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game over the weekend. 
  • I want to point out CJ McCollum's outing in the Pelicans' loss to the Spurs. The newly acquired guard put up 36 points (15-24 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 3-3 FT), 11 rebounds and five assists across 36 minutes in his second game with his new club.

Nets lose once again

• The Brooklyn Nets made a monstrous move shipping James Harden to the 76ers last week and were quite short-handed for Saturday's matchup against Miami. The Heat got off to a quick start, but Kyrie Irving and the Nets were able to storm back to make the game a nail-biter. However, Miami was able to hang on for a 115-111 victory, handing Brooklyn its 11th straight defeat.
• Bam Adebayo impressed in the win, totaling 19 points (8-12 FG, 3-5 FT) and adding 14 rebounds, four assists and a steal in 37 minutes. The center ranks as the 14th overall nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis over the past two weeks.
  • Duncan Robinson: 17 points (6-10 FG, 5-8 3Pt) while adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 25 minutes.
• Despite coming up short for the 11th straight time, Kyrie Irving was once again sensational for the Nets. The dynamic shot-creator finished with 29 points (10-22 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 6-6 FT) while adding five rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in 41 minutes while he scored twenty of his points in the final frame. Irving is averaging 25.8 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 boards, 2.8 threes and 1.0 steals over his last 10 games but will be forced to miss Brooklyn's next four games due to his status as an unvaccinated player.
  • Cam Thomas: 22 points (8-18 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT) while adding four rebounds, four assists and a steal in 32 minutes.

Best and Worst of the Weekend

• Best of the Weekend: Joel Embiid - 32.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.5 blocks per game.
• Worst of the Weekend: Tre Mann - 5.0 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.5 assists per game.
• Rookie of the Weekend: Ayo Dosunmu - 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

MVP Ladder

1. Joel Embiid (Last week: 1)
2. Nikola Jokic (3)
3. Ja Morant (2)
4. Chris Paul (5)
5. DeMar DeRozan (10)
6. Giannis Antetokounmpo (4)
7. Luka Doncic (7)
8. Devin Booker (NR)
9. LeBron James (8)
10. Stephen Curry (9)

A Look-Ahead to Monday Night

• The Nets try to avoid their 12th straight defeat when the new-look Kings come to town.
• DeMar DeRozan will look to keep up his blazing hot play when his former team, the Spurs, come to Chicago.
• The Raptors and Pelicans present an exciting, cross-conference matchup.
• We're treated to an Aaron Gordon revenge game against the Magic.