Around the Association: Steph Goes Off, Embiid-less 76ers Hang On, Raptors Take Down Hawks

This article is part of our NBA Daily Recap series.

Welcome to Around the Association! 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.

Here is all you need to know from a wild Monday night of hoops:

Embiid-less 76ers surprise Grizzlies

• Sadly, Joel Embiid was rested when the Memphis Grizzles traveled to Philadelphia. Despite, the MVP candidate being on the sidelines, the 76ers were able to hang in with the Grizzlies the whole game. The contest eventually went to overtime where Tyrese Maxey's impressive clutch play helped push Philly to a 122-119 win.
• The Kentucky product ended with 33 points (13-23 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 6-7 FT), three rebounds, eight assists, one steal and four blocks over 42 minutes. Maxey is quietly having a really strong second year in Philly that is almost being overlooked by Embiid's elite play
  • Tobias Harris also shined in Embiid's absence. The veteran forward finished with 31 points (12-25 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 5-5 FT), five rebounds, five assists and two blocks over 40 minutes. After a slower start to the year, Harris is starting to find his groove as of late, averaging 23.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game over his last seven
  • Andre Drummond: 16 points (8-11 FG, 0-1 FT), 23 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks over 42 minutes.
• Despite the losing effort, Ja Morant absolutely balled out once again. The athletic star finished with 37 points (15-30 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 7-10 FT), five rebounds, five assists and one steal across 41 minutes. This marked Morant's seventh straight 30 point outing as he is averaging 35.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.1 steals over that span. The 22-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down.
  • Desmond Bane also had a huge performance despite the losing effort. The TCU product totaled a season-best 34 points (12-21 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 5-5 FT), seven rebounds, one assist and three steals over 39 minutes. This marked Bane's second 30-point outing of the year.

Steph snaps out of slump against Houston

• The Warriors and Rockets game in Houston last night was fairly close throughout. However, Stephen Curry flipped the switch late in the fourth quarter to lead Golden State to a 122-108 victory. The All-Star ended with 40 points (13-23 FG, 7-14 3Pt, 7-8 FT), five rebounds, nine assists, one steal and one block across 37 minutes while dropping scoring over half of his points in the fourth quarter. Curry has been in a little bit of slump since the start of the new year, but he now has scored at least 29 points in two of his last three showings. 
  • Moses Moody entered the starting lineup for the Warriors last night and had a modest outing. The rookie out of Arkansas finished with 11 points (4-7 FG, 3-5 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist and one block across 24 minutes. The start came out of nowhere, but it is encouraging to see Moody start to crack Golden State's rotation
• Christian Wood posted yet another double-double despite the losing effort. The forward ended with 24 points (8-16 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 13 rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals in 34 minutes. Wood's season has not been the best from a fantasy perspective, however, as he currently ranks as the 97th overall nine-category fantasy option this year.
  • Kevin Porter Jr: 17 points (6-13 FG, 5-9 3Pt), one rebound and 11 assists over 33 minutes

Cavs survive against Pelicans 

• One of the more thrilling games came in Cleveland as the Pelicans came into town. Fresh off an ugly loss to the Pistons, the Cavaliers found themselves down by six points after three quarters while also being without star point guard Darius Garland (back). However, Kevin Love took matters into his own hands and hit clutch shots down the stretch to help push Cleveland to a 93-90 win.
  • The veteran forward 15 points (8-11 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks over 33 minutes. It really did look like Love's career was nearly over prior to this season, but the 33-year-old is proving that he indeed does more in the tank.
  • Cedi Osman started in place of Garland and took his spot dropping dimes in coach JB Bickerstaff's offense. The Turkish wing struggled with his shot, but still ended with seven points (3-16 FG, 0-7 3Pt, 1-1 FT), two rebounds and a career-high 12 assists.
  • Brandon Goodwin: 21 points (8-11 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), one rebound, one assist and one steal over 36 minutes.
• Jaxson Hayes entered the starting lineup to combat the Cavaliers' massive size and had one of his better outings of the season. The Texas product ended with 19 points (9-10 FG, 1-2 3Pt), seven rebounds and three blocks over 31 minutes. Hayes is starting to get more involved in the Pelicans' offense as of late, reaching double-figure scoring in eight out of his last 10 showings.
  • Devonte' Graham: 20 points (6-15 FG, 3-11 3Pt, 5-6 FT), two rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block over 29 minutes.

Pacers hang on against Clippers

• Domantas Sabonis got struck with yet another blow as he was placed on the COVID-19 list. However, even though Indiana was incredibly short-handed and was facing a very solid Clippers team, the Pacers were still able to walk away with a 122-116 win.
• Isaiah Jackson went off for 26 points (12-19 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds, two blocks and one steal over 29 minutes. With Sabonis, Goga Bitadze (foot) and Myles Turner (foot) all sidelined, Jackson does seem to have fantasy value for the time being.
  • Jackson was not the only rookie to go off for Indiana last night. Duane Washington was key in the victory as his impressive outside shooting come up clutch for the Pacers. The undrafted rookie out of Ohio State ended with 16 points (6-13 FG, 4-7 3Pt), four rebounds and four assists across 23 minutes. Indiana has quietly really crushed it with its rookies this year as Chris Duarte, Washington and Jackson have all impressed thus far.
• Amir Coffey is starting to find himself in the NBA. The Minnesota product ended with a game-high 27 points (9-14 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block over 35 minutes. Since Paul George has been sidelined with his elbow injury, Coffey is averaging 13.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game over that 21-game span.
  • Reggie Jackson: 21 points (8-18 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 1-1 FT), three rebounds and five assists across 31 minutes.

Raptors snap Hawks win streak

• Trae Young was sidelined with a shoulder contusion as the Raptors came into town. Toronto was probably still tired from their insane triple-overtime game over the weekend, but the team was still able to defeat the Hawks 106-100 after rallying back in the second half.
• Gary Trent is on fire as of recent as he dropped 31 points (10-22 FG, 9-15 3Pt, 2-4 FT), six rebounds, one assist and one steal over 40 minutes. This marked Trent's fourth straight 30-point outing while he is averaging 32.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game over that span. He is still just 23-years-old.
  • Pascal Siakam: 25 points (9-17 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 6-8 FT), six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks over 40 minutes.
• With Young out of the lineup, Kevin Huerter stepped up on the offensive end for Atlanta. The Maryland product ended with 26 points (9-12 FG, 5-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), two rebounds, two assists and two steals over 38 minutes. This was a good bounce back game for Huerter as he recorded three straight single-digit scoring efforts prior to last night's loss.
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic: 18 points (7-16 FG, 4-11 3Pt), five rebounds and four assists over 30 minutes. 

Best and Worst of the Night

• Best of the Night: Stephen Curry - 40 points (13-23 FG, 7-14 3Pt, 7-8 FT), five rebounds, nine assists, one steal and one block across 37 minutes
• Worst of the Night: Herbert Jones – Three points (0-7 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), two rebounds and four assists across 31 minutes.
• Rookie of the Night: Davion Mitchell - 18 points (8-17 FG, 2-7 3Pt), one rebound, six assists and two blocks over 33 minutes. 
   

Quick Hitters

• The Portland Trail Blazers were leading by nearly 20 points in the first half against the Thunder, but the OKC stormed all the way back and ended up easing to a 98-81 win. Luguentz Dort led the way with 18 points (6-16 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six rebounds, three assists and three steals over 34 minutes. 
  • Josh Giddey: 14 points (5-12 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 12 rebounds, four assists and one block over 33 minutes
• This was one ugly loss for Portland. I am seriously expecting big changes to be made from them in the next coming days. CJ McCollum finished with a team-high 21 points (10-17 FG, 1-6 3Pt), three rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes. 
• The Knicks steamed over the Kings by a score of 116-96 behind a solid team effort. Alec Burks finished with a team-high 21 points (6-9 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 5-6 FT), five rebounds, four assists and one steal in 26 minutes
  • I continue to be impressed with what I see out of Quentin Grimes in his limited run. The rookie totaled 14 points (5-9 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, one assist and three steals in 23 minutes
• With De'Aaron Fox (ankle) still sidelined, Tyrese Haliburton had yet another solid game for Sacramento despite getting crushed by the Knicks. The second-year pro totaled 21 points (7-16 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 5-6 FT), one rebound and eight assists in 35 minutes. He is averaging 29.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. 
  • Davion Mitchell: 18 points (8-17 FG, 2-7 3Pt), one rebound, six assists and two blocks over 33 minutes. 
• The Boston Celtics ran over the Jimmy Butler-less Heat by a score of 122-92. Jaylen Brown shined with 29 points (11-19 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 4-4 FT), four rebounds, two assists and two steals over 31 minutes. The wing is averaging 29.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.8 steals per game over his last four games.
  • Jayson Tatum: 20 points (7-15 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 3-5 FT), 12 rebounds and five assists across 31 minutes.
• Max Strus was certainly not to blame for Miami's loss. The DePaul product finished with a team-high 27 points (9-19 FG, 9-17 3Pt), three rebounds and two assists over 40 minutes.

A Look Ahead to Tuesday Night

• Phoenix looks for its 11th straight victory when Brooklyn travels to town.
• The Heat and Raptors face off yet again after recently going into three overtimes over the weekend
• Stephen Curry will look to build off his hot shooting night against Houston when the Warriors travels to San Antonio 
• We have an elite center duel between Karl-Anthony Towns and Nikola Jokic when the Nuggets and Timberwolves square off in Minnesota