Around the Association: Lakers Collapse, Mobley Shines on D, Heat Shut Down Nets

This article is part of our NBA Daily Recap series.

Welcome to Around the Association!  Five days per week (Monday through Friday), 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 busy 10 game slate in the NBA last night, headlined by a buzzer-beater in Phoenix and an unbelievable collapse by the LeBron-less Lakers. Here is everything you need to know:

Nightly Notables

Barnes at the Buzzer

• With the game tied at 107 with 1.4 seconds left, Harrison Barnes hit an improbable three-pointer to push the Kings over the Suns at the buzzer. The veteran wing finished with 22 points (10-18 FG, 2-6 3Pt) to go with nine rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes. We have a lot more basketball to play, but Barnes is playing at a career-high level thus far this season. Through four appearances, the UNC product is averaging 26.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game -- all career-highs by far.

• Despite the loss, Devin Booker was awesome throughout and hit several clutch shots down the stretch. The star guard finished with a game-high 31 points (12-28 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 5-6 FT) to go with eight assists and six rebounds in 36 minutes. Deandre Ayton also impressed with 21 points (9-12 FG, 3-4 FT) and 21 rebounds in the loss -- easily his best showing of the season.

Thunder Storm Back

• The Thunder were down 26 points to the Lakers but ended up winning 123-115 behind an incredible performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 23-year-old scored 27 points (7- 19 FG, 5-11 3PT, 8-10 FT) to go with nine rebounds, five assists and two turnovers in 37 minutes. SGA continues to prove himself as one of the elite young players in this league. Darius Bazley played well for the Thunder, finishing with 20 points (8-14 FG, 4-8 3Pt) and four steals while finishing a handful of big dunks.
• Without LeBron James (ankle) yet again, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis both delivered. Westbrook put up his first triple-double in a Lakers uniform, finishing with 20 points (8-20 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 14 rebounds and 13 assists. The veteran guard also finished with 10 turnovers, however -- several of which led directly to Thunder baskets in the second half.
• Davis dropped in 30 points (12-22 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 6-7 FT) and added eight rebounds, but he did not block a shot after racking up eight blocks over his previous two games. The Kentucky product is averaging 28.4 points per game thus far.
• Since going 6-of-8 from three against Memphis on Sunday, Carmelo Anthony is now one for his last 12 from downtown. He had a chance to tie the game late, and...

Heat Outlast Nets

• In a battle of two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, the Heat defeated the Nets 106-93. The game was back and forth throughout before the Heat took over late. Bam Adebayo led the way with 24 points (8-17 FG, 8-9 FT) and nine rebounds while Jimmy Butler neared a triple-double with a 17 point (6-18 FG),14 rebounds and seven assists in the showing.
• Kevin Durant still put on an offensive clinic despite the loss. The All-Star wing scored 25 points (9-18 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 5-6 FT) to go with 11 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in the defeat.

Timberwolves' Three-Headed Attack Too Much For Giannis 

• D'Angelo Russell was on fire against the Bucks. The guard scored a team-high 29 points (12-25 FG, 3-11 3Pt, 2-3 FT) to go with six assists, five rebounds and three turnovers in 36 minutes. Despite the rough shooting from outside, Russell countlessly hit tough shots off the dribble and came up clutch for Minnesota. His partner in crime, Karl-Anthony-Towns, also looked great in the win. Towns scored 25 points (9-13 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 4-5 FT) while recording five assists, three rebounds, three blocks, one steal and seven turnovers in the victory. KAT is such a dominant center who is truly an elite three-level scorer.
• Despite the loss, Giannis Antetokounmpo was incredible Wednesday. The Greek Freak scored a season-high 40 points (15-23 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 7-9 FT) and also put up 16 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two turnovers. The two-time MVP is shooting what would be a career-high 35.3 percent from beyond the arc throughout the first five games of the season.
• I would be remiss not to mention Anthony Edwards' showing. The second-year pro scored 25 points (9-24 FG, 2-10 3Pt, 5-6 FT) to go with seven rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes. The 20-year-old also came up clutch for Minnesota, icing the game late with a clutch and-one layup on Khris Middleton. The T'Wolves are 3-1 to start the new year and look like a much different team

Best and Worst of the Night

• Stud of the Night: Giannis Antetokounmpo -- 40 points (15-23 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 7-9 FT), 16 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two turnovers in 34 minutes
• Dud of the Night: LaMelo Ball -- Seven points (3-14 FG, 1-5 3Pt), six rebounds, three assists, three steals and three turnovers in 24 minutes of action
• Rookie of the Night: Scottie Barnes -- 18 points (8-17 FG, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two turnovers in 36 minutes.

Quick Hitters

• So Miles Bridges might really be something. The dynamic wing finished with 31 points (11-21 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 4-5 FT) to go with six rebounds and a block in 35 minutes of action. Through five appearances this season, the 23-year-old is averaging 26.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists while making 3.0 threes per game. All of those figures would mark career-highs by a wide margin.
• Gordon Hayward was tough in the Hornets' win over the Magic. The veteran wing scored 24 points (9-13 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT) while recording five rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block.
• Cole Anthony performed well for the Magic in the loss. The second-year-pro scored 24 points (11-20 FG, 2-7 3Pt) to go with six assists, five rebounds and a steal in 34 minutes. Anthony has had a stellar start to the year, averaging 17.0 points and 7.4 rebounds. Over the last three games, his averages jump to 21.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.7 threes.
• Trae Young dropped a smooth 31 points (13-27 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 3-3 FT) to go with seven assists and five rebounds in 36 minutes during the Hawks' 102-99 win over the Pelicans. Young is off to a hot start this season, averaging 26.5 points and 9.3 assists per game.
• Devonte' Graham looked sharp in New Orleans' tough loss to Atlanta. The 26-year-old drained five triples en route to a 21-point (8-17 FG, 5-10 3Pt), six-assist and five-rebound outing. Graham is scoring 18.4 points per game in his first five contests in New Orleans.
• Kyle Lowry has been a huge addition for the now 3-1 Miami Heat. The veteran point guard only put up nine points (3-8 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), but finished with nine assists and six rebounds. He looks as if he has played with this team his whole career, and Miami may once again be contenders for a ring.
• In his five appearances this season, James Harden has not scored more than 20 points. However, Harden is still providing value elsewhere. He finished Wednesday's game with 14 points (4-12 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 3-3 FT), seven assists and seven rebounds. The new officiating emphases may be seriously impacting the All-Star guard. Over his last nine seasons, Harden has averaged 10.2 free throws per game. This season he is taking just 3.0 per outing. Last night produced a few comical foul-drawing attempts from Harden:

• Spencer Dinwiddie put in another solid showing as a Wizard, finishing with 22 points (8-16 FG, 2-5 3PT, 4-4 FT) to go with three rebounds and three assists. He played great down the stretch and helped lead Washington to a 116-107 win over Boston.
• Montrezl Harrell might finally be in a great spot. The tenacious big scored 25 points (10-13 FG, 5-7 FT) to go with 11 rebounds and two blocks. The journeyman big is averaging 17.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in 30.0 minutes per game -- all would be career highs.
  • Washington also lost Daniel Gafford (quad) in this game, which allowed Harrell to play 38 minutes.
• Dennis Schroder scored 22 points (6-15 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 6-6 FT) while recording six assists in the team's loss to the Wizards. The 6-foot-3 guard has averaged 22.5 points in 35.0 minutes per game across his last two contests.
• Al Horford looked really good once again for the Celtics. The veteran forward finished with 16 points (7-12 FG, 2-4 3Pt), 11 rebounds and four assists in 26 minutes. Horford has three double-doubles in three appearances this season and is averaging 14.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
• Joe Harris made five three-pointers and is now the Nets' all-time leader in three-pointers made with 815 in just six seasons with the team.
• Malcolm Brogdon was having a solid showing for the Pacers before injuring his hamstring in the third quarter and missing the rest of the game. Before the injury, Brogdon had recorded 18 points (7-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), five rebounds and five assists in 21 minutes. If the Virginia product is forced to miss time, expect T.J. McConnell and Chris Duarte to benefit most from his absence.
• Fred VanVleet finally looked like the FVV we had started to see last season. The sharpshooting guard scored a team-high 26 points (10-18 FG, 6-7 3Pt) as well as putting up 10 rebounds, six assists, one steal and three turnovers in 36 minutes. This was by far VanVleet's best performance of the young season.
• OG Anunoby also continues to pick up his play. The Indiana product scored a season-high 25 points (9-21 FG, 4-10 3PT, 3-4 FT) to go with five steals, three rebounds and three assists. Anunoby has now scored over 22 points in three straight contests and is the clear No. 2 option on Toronto with no Pascal Siakam for the time being.
• Jarred Vanderbilt put up his first double-double of the season. The forward scored 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-2 FT) while grabbing 13 rebounds in 30 minutes. The 22-year-old has always been an impressive rebounder and to see him put up a double-double in his first game seeing meaningful minutes this year is quite encouraging.
• Bobby Portis made his season debut Wednesday, finishing with six points (3-7 FG, 0-3 3Pt) as well as grabbing three rebounds and turning the ball over once in 15 minutes. The veteran forward was an integral part of the Bucks' championship roster, so it is nice to see Portis back in the swing of things.
• Buddy Hield had his best performance of the season, putting up 26 points (8-17 FG, 7-11 3Pt, 3-3 FT) to go with five rebounds and one assist. The sharpshooter is coming off the bench for the Kings and has been the subject of trade talks for the past few seasons. It would not surprise me if Hield ends the season on a different team.
• Ja Morant neared a triple-double, finishing with 17 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in 31 minutes of action in Memphis' 116-96 loss to Portland. The third-year-pro has had an incredible start to the season, averaging 30.5 points, 8.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds across the team's first four contests.
• Desmond Bane once again looked extremely solid for the Grizzlies, ending the game with a team-high 19 points (7-12 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 1-1 FT) in just 23 minutes of action. The second-year pro is off to a really sound start to the season, scoring 19.3 points per game while shooting at a 40.0 percent clip from beyond the arc. Even once Dillon Brooks returns, Bane looks like he'll stick in the starting five.
• CJ McCollum always starts the season off on a strong note. The veteran guard scored a game-high 25 points (8-21 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 5-6 FT) to go with six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 32 minutes of action. The 30-year-old is averaging 26.8 points per game throughout his first four contests of the year.
• Damian Lillard put up his second double-double of the year but is continuing to shoot the ball poorly. The All-Star guard finished with 20 points (6-22 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 4-4 FT) and 10 assists in 32 minutes of action, but Lillard is still just shooting 17.1 percent from beyond the arc this season. Lillard is a career 37.4 percent shooter from three, so I would expect that number to start to rise as the season continues.
• Collin Sexton looked sharp for Cleveland in its 92-79 win over the Clippers. The 22-year-old scored 26 points(12-20 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 2-3 FT) to go with seven rebounds, three steals and one assist in 37 minutes of action. The Alabama product is scoring 20.4 points per game this season, but is shooting just 29.2 percent from three in the process.

• Paul George struggled with his shot throughout the team's loss to the Cavaliers. PG finished with a lowly 12 points (6-20 FG, 0-8 3Pt), 10 rebounds and one assist while turning the ball over four times in 34 minutes.

Rookie Report

• Evan Mobley: 12 points (3-10 FG, 6-6 FT), 10 rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 34 minutes.
  • The 6-foot-11 rookie put up his second double-double of his career in the team's upset win over the Clippers. Mobley struggled shooting but was able to make up for it by not missing any of his six attempts from the free-throw line. The USC product seems like the real deal throughout the first five games of his career.

• Scottie Barnes: 18 points (8-17 FG, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two turnovers in 36 minutes.
  • The No. 4 overall selection continues to get better each game for the Raptors. Barnes finished with a season-high seven assists and continues to simply look like belongs in the league. The rookie is averaging 17.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game through his first five career contests

• Jalen Suggs: Eight points (3-11 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 2-4 FT), five rebounds, six assists, one steal and four turnovers in 35 minutes.
  • The rookie out of Gonzaga struggled with his shot but still impressed me in the loss to the Hornets. Suggs is an incredibly gifted playmaker and I am very high on his talent. However, the 20-year-old needs to improve his 28.6 percent field goal percentage.
• Josh Giddey: 18 points (7-13 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 10 assists, two rebounds, one steal and four turnovers in 32 minutes
  • In my opinion, the Australian rookie was by far the Thunder's second-best player Wednesday. Giddey's court vision is incredibly impressive and he effortlessly handed out some impressive dimes in the win. The rookie almost gave the game away with a late turnover, but regardless the No. 6 overall pick was a major key in the Thunder's upset win over the Lakers.
• Franz Wagner: 15 points (5-7 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), one rebound, one assist and one turnover in 32 minutes.
  • I think Wagner has silenced most of his doubters through his first five games in the league. The Michigan product is averaging 13.6 points per game while shooting 41.7 percent from beyond the arc. Wagner certainly belongs on an NBA court and seems to be the composed wing that the Magic intended on drafting.
• Davion Mitchell: Five points (2-7 FG, 1-4 3Pt), four assists and three rebounds in 19 minutes
  • The defensive-minded guard had a quiet night for the Kings but still looks to be a solid addition to the team. Mitchell brings tenacious defense and now has three straight games with four assists as well. The Baylor product is still not performing at a consistent enough rate to be trusted in fantasy lineups.
• Ziaire Williams: Five points(1-3 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT ) and one rebound in 18 minutes.
  • The No. 10 overall selection has had a predictably quiet start to his career. Williams is playing 17.5 minutes per game thus far but is only averaging 4.3 points per game throughout his first four contests. Williams' workload could be in jeopardy when Brooks returns.
• Chris Duarte: 14 points (6-15 FG, 2-7 3Pt), four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one turnover in 32 minutes.
  • The rookie out of Oregon continues to see starters' minutes for the Pacers. Duarte has had a strong start to his career and has consistently looked like the NBA-ready three-and-D player he was hyped up to be coming into the draft. However, Caris LeVert is coming back to the lineup soon, which may hamper Duarte's minutes for the rest of the season.
• Trey Murphy: Eight points (3-7 FG, 2-4 3Pt), three rebounds and two turnovers in 25 minutes.
  • The No. 17 overall selection looked like a sure thing in the preseason but has not had the start to his NBA career that he had hoped. Murphy has yet to reach double-figures in a game and is averaging just 6.2 points per contest. However the Virginia product is shooting an impressive 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, but still is not seeing enough opportunity to be fantasy relevant just yet.
• Jeremiah Robinson-Earl: Zero points (0-2 FG)  two rebounds, one block and one turnover in five minutes
  • Just one day after starting and playing 27 minutes for the Thunder, Robinson-Earl went back to a reserve role with Derrick Favors returning to the lineup. It seems for JRE to have fantasy value this season, Favors probably needs to be out of the lineup
• Herbert Jones: Eight points (3-4 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT), one rebound, one assist and one block in 22 minutes.
  • It is pretty interesting to see the second-round draft selection be a starting forward for the Pelicans to start the season, though it's worth noting that he's probably just a placeholder for Josh Hart and/or Zion Williamson.
• Austin Reaves: Two points (1-4 FG, 0-2 3Pt) and two rebounds in 17 minutes.
  • The Oklahoma product played 30 minutes Tuesday but only saw 17 minutes of action Wednesday. With LeBron James (ankle) coming back to the lineup sooner than later, it seems that Reaves will eventually head back to a normal reserve role without much fantasy value.

Looking Ahead to Thursday Night

• The undefeated Chicago Bulls have their biggest test of the year in a matchup against the New York Knicks.
• The Grizzlies and Warriors face off in a rematch of last season's Play-In Tournament
• Trae Young and the Hawks go head-to-head with Bradley Beal and the Wizards.