Around the Association: Mavs and Bucks Roll, Cavs Make a Splash, LeBron Returns

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 exciting weekend -- here is all you need to know:

 Giannis dominates the weekend

• Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks made absolute light work of the weekend. The Bucks smoked the Trail Blazers 137-108 Saturday and then dropped 137 points yet again just one day later as they cruised over the Clippers by 24 points. The Greek Freak was unstoppable, averaging 28.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game during the two victories. Antetokounmpo has now topped 25 points in 19 straight games.
  • Bobby Portis really shined throughout the Bucks' two victories. The veteran forward finished with a season-best 30 points (11-13 FG, 6-8 3Pt, 2-3 FT), four rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal in 24 minutes. Portis averaged 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists across the weekend. 

Cleveland goes all in 

• The Cavaliers made a statement on Sunday when they sent Indiana a couple of future picks, as well as Ricky Rubio's contract, for Caris LeVert. Cleveland has been perhaps the best pleasant surprise of the season and this move from the organization helps to continue to bolster its stance as a legit threat in the East. 
• Cleveland was also a part of one wild game in Charlotte in a nail-biter that went down to the wire. The Cavaliers were up by nearly 20 points the fourth before the Hornets got hot from deep and even took the lead 102-101 with seconds left to play. Kevin Love was fouled down low and was able to drill two free throws to win the game 103-102. The veteran ended with 25 points (7-18 FG, 6-14 3Pt, 5-5 FT), nine rebounds and one assist over 26 minutes. 
  • Jarrett Allen played like one angry all-star snub and ended with 29 points (12-20 FG, 5-7 FT), 22 rebounds and two assists across 34 minutes during the win over Charlotte.
• Ironically, Cleveland ended its weekend facing off against the Pacers, the team they just made a deal with. Cleveland rolled to a 98-85 win over the Pacers as Cedi Osman came up clutch. The veteran forward ended with a game-high 22 points (8-16 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, five assists and one steal across 31 minutes while dropping 18 of his 22 in the final quarter. The Cavaliers currently sit at 33-21 and have just got even better than before.

Luka and Mavs shine through the weekend

• The Dallas Mavericks had themselves a strong weekend, winning both of their contests again two strong Eastern Conference opponents. On Friday, they faced off against the 76ers which blessed us with a Joel Embii -Luka Doncic showdown. The game was tight throughout but, Doncic was able to push the Mavericks to 107-98 victory while finishing with 33 points (13-28 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 6-9 FT), 13 rebounds, 15 assists and two steals over 40 minutes.
  •  Embiid did his thing during the loss, ending with  27 points (7-17 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 11-14 FT), 13 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals in 33 minutes. This was his first of an impressive string of performances over the weekend, but more on that later.
• Next, Dallas traveled to Atlanta to face a scorching hot Hawks team. Although dealing with foul trouble throughout, Doncic was able to push the Mavericks to a 103-94 victory, dropping 18 points (6-17 FG, 1-3 3P5, 5-6 FT), 10 rebounds, 11 assists and one steal over 28 minutes of action.  
  • Reggie Bullock caught fire in the win over Atlanta, ending with 22 points (8-14 FG, 6-10 3Pt), nine rebounds, two assists and two steals across 38 minutes. The veteran forward is starting to find his role in his first season with the Mavericks, averaging 18.8 points and 5.7 rebounds over 32.0 minutes per game during his last six appearances since Tim Hardaway Jr. (foot) went down.

The King is back

• After missing five straight games due to a knee injury, LeBron James made his return to the Lakers' lineup and looked like he had not missed a beat. The New York Knicks were in town and RJ Barrett was able to come up clutch in regulation to send the contest to overtime. Los Angeles took over in extra time and ended up winning 122-115. James ended with 29 points (13-24 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 13 rebounds, 10 assists and one steal in 40 minutes. The 37-year-old completely changes how this Lakers team plays.
  • Anthony Davis ended with an impressive, loaded line, dropping 28 points (13-19 FG, 2-5 FT), 17 rebounds, three assists, four blocks and three steals over 41 minutes.
  • On the other hand, Russell Westbrook was benched in overtime and ended with five points (1-10 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 3-7 FT), four rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal over 29 minutes. With the trade deadline coming up this week, it will be interesting to see how the Lakers' handle a seemingly unfixable situation
  • Malik Monk: 29 points (11-20 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 3-4 FT) and two assists across 39 minutes.
• RJ Barrett was deep in his bag despite the losing effort. The third-year pro ended with a career-best 36 points (13-28 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 6-9 FT), eight rebounds, five assists and one steal over 50 minutes. Barrett has shown that he is capable of proving big games like these in the past, the next step for him is to find that stable consistency moving forward. The 21-year-old ranks as the 238th overall nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis this season.
  • Julius Randle: 32 points (11-22 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 8-10 FT), 16 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks across 41 minutes. 

Chicago's wild weekend

• Well, the Chicago Bulls had quite the weekend. Their weekend started on Friday when the Pacers came to town. In what would be his final game with the Pacers, Caris LeVert started the game unconscious, ending the first quarter with 22 points while shooting 11-12 from the field. He finished with 42 points (19-26 FG, 1-3 3PT, 3-3 FT), along with five rebounds and eight assists across 41 minutes. But Chicago was able to hold on for a 122-115 victory.
  • Nikola Vucevic was huge in the win with 36 points (16-21 FG, 1-2 3PT, 3-7 FT), 17 rebounds, four assists and three blocks across 37 minutes. Over his last eight games, Vuc is averaging 24.0 points, 13.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
  • Dosunmu did not just have a clutch dunk to seal the game, as he finished with 15 points (6-9 FG, 2-3 3PT, 1-2 FT), 14 assists and two steals across 37 minutes. The second-rounder has really shined with both Lonzo Ball (knee) and Alex Caruso (wrist) out of the lineup. Zach LaVine (back) also missed both of the Bulls' contests over the weekend.
• The Bulls could not sweep the weekend as the Philadelphia 76ers were able to pull off a 119-108 win in Chicago on Sunday. The game was decently close throughout, but the 76ers held control for most of it.
  • DeMar DeRozan was nearly unstoppable in the loss, finishing with a season-high 45 points (18-30 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 9-11 FT), nine rebounds, seven assists and one steal over 41 minutes. The All-Star starter averaged 38.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game over the weekend.
  • Joel Embiid was not to be denied during Philadelphia's win on the road. The MVP candidate ended with 40 points (14-23 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 10-11 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks over 32 minutes. This was a big bounce-back game from the 76ers after falling to the Mavericks earlier this weekend.

Portland in sell mode 

• The Portland Trail Blazers made their first official trade that may signal that the Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum era is finally nearing its end. The team sent Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers on Friday in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and a 2025 second-round draft pick. 
  • I am a big fan of this move for the Clippers as they bolster their wing strength with the statuses of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are both uncertain. Powell had a great debut for LA on Sunday against Milwaukee, finishing with 28 points (9-16 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 6-7 FT), one rebound and four assists across just 24 minutes off of the bench.
• This move has major ramifications for the Trail Blazers. I would be shocked if this is the last trade they make before Thursday's deadline. McCollum could very well be on his way out of town, with the Knicks reportedly emerging as a possible landing spot.

Rough weekend for Brooklyn

• The Nets skidded across this weekend and lost two more games to extend their losing streak to eight straight. James Harden was held out of both of Brooklyn's contests, losses to the Jazz and Nuggets by at least 20 points, due to hamstring tightness while Kevin Durant (knee) also remained sidelined.
• Rumors continue to swirl around Harden ahead of the deadline, but, personally, I think the Nets will hold onto him. The big three of Durant, Harden and Kyrie Irving has played a total of 16 games together. You have to give it more time, in my opinion.
  • Some notes about the Nets' weekend:
    • Kyrie Irving had a solid week as the team's only true star, averaging 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game during the two losses. 
    • Cam Thomas is a certified bucket. The rookie out of LSU averaged 25.0 points per game with Harden sidelined.
    • Donovan Mitchell made his return to action during the Nets loss to the Jazz and he shined in his first game back, finishing with 27 points (8-10 FG, 6-7 3Pt, 5-5 FT), six assists, three rebounds and one block across just 22 minutes.
    • Nikola Jokic took over in the third quarter in Brooklyn's loss to the Nuggets on Sunday. The Joker ended with 27 points (12-15 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 12 rebounds, 10 assists, one block and two steals in 30 minutes to mark his 14th triple-double this season

Ingram paces the Pelicans

• Brandon Ingram was on one this weekend for New Orleans. The star wing first dropped in 23 points (8-20 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 7-7 FT), four rebounds, 12 assists, one steal and two blocks across 32 minutes during Friday's 113-105 win over the Nuggets. 
  1. BI was helped out by the play of Herbert Jones and Jaxson Hayes as well. Jones ended with a team-high 25 points (8-10 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 6-6 FT), two rebounds and two steals over 34 minutes. Hayes went perfect from the field ending with 22 points (9-9 FG, 4-4 FT), 11 rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal across 33 minutes.
• The Pelicans faced off against the Rockets on Sunday and cruised to a 120-107 behind yet another strong showing from Ingram. The forward exploded for 33 points (12-21 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 6-9 FT), three rebounds, 12 assists, three steals and one block over 36 minutes. Ingram averaged 28.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 12.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game over the weekend.
  • Jaxson Hayes had another impressive outing in the win, ending with 21 points (8-10 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-6 FT), seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks over 21 minutes off of the bench. 

Boston finding its groove

• Over the first two-and-a-half months of the season, the Celtics were sitting at a 15-17 record. However, since the start of the new year, Boston has won 13 of its last 19 contests and enters the week five games over .500.
• Both of the Celtics' wins over the weekend came against bottom-tier teams, the Magic and Pistons. However, if we have learned anything from this season, anything can happen in this league. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown took turns working as the alpha dog:
  • Tatum dropped 24 points (9-21 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 2-3 FT), nine rebounds, one assist and one steal across 28 minutes during the team's Friday win over Detroit. 
  • Brown went off for 26 points (10-22 FG, 1-9 3Pt, 5-5 FT), five rebounds, three assists and three steals over 29 minutes during the Sunday win over Orlando.

Kings in a pickle 

• The Sacramento Kings won their only contest of the weekend 113-103 over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tyrese Haliburton had his fingerprints all over the game, finishing with 13 points (5-13 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-3 FT), six rebounds, a career-high 17 assists, one block and two steals across 40 minutes.
• Davion Mitchell also continued his hot play with 17 points (7-15 FG, 3-9 3Pt), one rebound, two assists and one steal over 36 minutes. The rookie out of Baylor has started the team's last six games and has averaged 19.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists over that span with De'Aaron Fox sidelined.
• For the longest time, I always thought trading Fox would be such a mistake for the Sacramento Kings. However, the recent play out of Haliburton and Mitchell is really starting to make a Fox trade appear more feasible.

Best and Worst of the Weekend

• Best of the Weekend: Luka Doncic - 25.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 13.0 assists and 1.5 steals across 34.0 minutes per game while defeating both the 76ers and Hawks.
• Worst of the Weekend: Gordon Hayward - 3.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals across 25.4 minutes per game. 
• Rookie of the Weekend: Cam Thomas - 25.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block across 31.7 minutes per game.

MVP Ladder

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

Next up: Trae Young

A Look Ahead to Monday Night

• The Bulls and Suns square off in Chicago with Zach LaVine questionable to return.
• The Raptors and Hornets are set for a tight contest in Charlotte.
• The Jazz look to keep getting back on track when the Knicks travel to town.