NBA Daily Recap: Dosunmu at the buzzer, Siakam explodes, Pacers shock Celtics + more from Wednesday night

This article is part of our NBA Daily Recap series.

Welcome back to another edition of Around the Association. Wedneday's 11-game slate brought us some wild contests full of buzzer-beaters and impressive performances.

Without further ado, let's dive in:

Nightly Notables 

Ayoooo!

• Just over a week after AJ Griffin sent the Bulls home on a game-winning buzzer-beater, Ayo Dosunmu gave Atlanta a taste of its own medicine. DeMar DeRozan air-balled what would have been a game-winning corner jump shot, only for Dosunmu to grab the rebound and finish a layup to put the Bulls ahead 110-108 as time expired. 
  • This was a massive game for Dosunmu whose spot in the rotation seemed to be in a bit of jeopardy. The second-year guard played just five minutes in the Bulls' previous contest but ended Wednesday's win with nine points (4-6 FG, 1-3 3Pt), three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 34 minutes.
  • While Dosumnu is still hard to trust in fantasy formats, it is encouraging to see the Illinois product bounce back in a big way. The Bulls have now won two straight games.

Siakam erputs, snaps Knicks' streak

• The Knicks came into Wednesday winners of eight straight games while the Raptors, on the other hand, had lost six contests in a row.  However, Pascal Siakam decided to take matters into his own hands and carried Toronto to a 113-106 win.
• Siakam erupted for a career-high 52 points (17-25 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 16-18 FT) to go with nine rebounds, seven assists and one steal across 41 minutes. The 28-year-old continues to shine this season, boasting averages of 26.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists across 36.4 minutes per game. While it is impossible to say how Toronto's roster will look come the trade deadline,  this has been one special season for Siakam. Over the past week of play, Siakam ranks as the 10th overall nine-category option. 
• While New York may have lost, RJ Barrett continues to stay hot in the scoring department. The Duke product finished with 30 points (11-19 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 4-6 FT), five rebounds, five assists and one steal over 46 minutes. Over his last seven showings, Barrett is averaging 24.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game for the Knicks. While it was a slow start to the season for Barrett, the 22-year-old is starting to deliver on a nightly basis for the Knicks. 

Wanna-be All-Star makes a statement

• The biggest surprise of the night came in Boston where the Pacers were able to upset the Celtics by a score of 117-112. Tyrese Haliburton led the way for Indiana with 33 points (12-24 FG, 6-13 3Pt, 3-4 FT), eight assists, three rebounds and one steal over 34 minutes. No other Pacer topped even 15 points in the win.
• While Haliburton has been great throughout the season, the third-year guard has been a bit inconsistent as of late. Over his last five showings, the Iowa State product has two games with 29 or more points but three games with less than 17. Regardless, Haliburton still ranks as the 36th overall nine-category option over that span due to his great playmaking abilities.
• After missing the Celtics' last game due to a personal matter, Jayson Tatum looked like he hadn't missed a beat in his return. Despite coming up short, the MVP candidate ended with 41 points (13-25 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 11-13 FT), five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block across 41 minutes. This marked Tatum's fifth 40-point outing this season.
  • Robert Williams saw his playing time increase by nearly five minutes in his third appearance of the year, finishing with six points (3-5 FG), 12 rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block over 22 minutes of play. Williams seems to certainly be trending in the right direction of being a startable fantasy asset in the coming weeks. 

Mitchell leads Cavs over Bucks

• Donovan Mitchell carried the Cavaliers over the Bucks by a score of 114-106 in an Eastern Conference showdown Monday. The star guard recorded 36 points (9-21 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 15-16 FT), six assists, four rebounds and two steals in 37 minutes during the win. Mitchell started to catch fire later in the game with 26 of his points coming in the final half of play.
  • The first-year Cavalier has had an incredible month of December, averaging 31.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game thus far. Cleveland now sits at 22-11 to start the year, just 1.0 game behind the first-place Bucks. 
• While the Bucks took the loss, Giannis Antetokounmpo was nothing short of incredible in the defeat. The Greek Freak finished with a season-high 45 points (17-27 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 11-16 FT), 14 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal across 40 minutes. This marked Antetokounmpo's fifth 40-point showing this season and his third of the month of December. While Antetokounmpo is playing at such a dominant level, he does rank as just the 96th overall nine-category fantasy option this season due to his horrid free-throw shooting (64.0 percent) and high turnover rate (3.7 turnovers per game).

Nets dominate Curry-less Dubs

• The entire NBA world had to rub its eyes when it saw the Nets leading the Warriors by a  score of 91-51 at halftime. Brooklyn was able to hold onto the lead and cruise to a 143-113 win over a very short-handed Golden State team. It was quite the balanced effort for Brooklyn in the blowout with nine different players reaching double-figures in scoring. The Nets have now won seven straight games as their team chemistry continues to grow. 
• While there was not much to cheer about during the blowout loss, the Warriors were just with three rotation players from their 2022 championship team. Furthermore, Wednesday's thrashing gave us an opportunity to see how some of their younger pieces are developing. James Wiseman looked great, ending with a career-high 30 points (12-14 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 5-8 FT), six rebounds, two assists and one block in 28 minutes. It will be interesting to see if the Warriors reward Wiseman with more playing time at the NBA level, making the third-year center a fantasy name to watch out for! 
  • Patrick Baldwin also looked sharp with 17 points (6-10 FG, 5-8 3Pt) and three rebounds in 23 minutes. While most of his baskets came in garbage time (essentially the entire second half was garbage time in this one), it is encouraging to see the rookie display some efficient deep shooting. 

Magic keep winning

• The surprise team of the second quarter of the season seems to be the Magic. Orlando took down Houston by a score of 116-110 to mark its seventh win in its last eight contests.
• Paolo Banchero recorded his sixth career double-double with 23 points (9-20 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 4-8 FT), 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals across 32 minutes during the victory. The No. 1 overall pick has now gone for 20 or more points in eight out of his last nine showings. Banchero simply gives off the feel that this he has already been in the league for five or more years. The game just comes so naturally to him. Orlando has something special brewing with Banchero and the rest of its young talent.
  • Speaking about the other younger options on the Magic, Franz Wagner finished with a team-high 25 points (9-15 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 3-5 FT), two rebounds and two steals across 32 minutes in the win. The Michigan product is almost quietly having a great second season, averaging 19.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game thus far.
• The Rockets came up short, but Kevin Porter still ended with a season-high 31 points (12-19 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 2-3 FT), six rebounds, five assists, one block and three steals across 35 minutes. The fourth-year guard is currently recording career-highs in scoring and assisting, averaging 18.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists across his 30 appearances this season.
  • No.2 overall pick Jabari Smith ended with 10 points (4-11 FG, 2-5 3Pt), five rebounds, one rebound and three blocks in the loss to Banchero and the Magic. It's always fun to track how the top two picks fare when they match up against each other. While much of the rookie attention has gone (deservedly) to Banchero, Smith is slowly starting to figure it out for Houston. Over the month of December, the Auburn product is averaging 12.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. 

Quick Hitters

• Joel Embiid came close to a triple-double during Philadelphia's 113-93 beatdown over Detroit, recording 22 points (6-16 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 10-11 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists and four blocks in 34 minutes. Embiid is on an absolute tear as of late, averaging 32.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks per game over his last 10 appearances. Here comes the Embiid MVP train! 
• Tim Hardaway had yet another solid scoring game, ending with 21 points (6-13 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 5-7 FT), three rebounds and one assist over 36 minutes during Dallas' 104-99 win over Minnesota. Hardway is averaging 17.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 steals across his first 11 appearances in December. 
• After missing the Timberwolves' last three games, Rudy Gobert made his return to the court during the loss to the Mavericks. The center looked sharp with 19 points (9-11 FG, 1-3 FT), 15 rebounds, two blocks and two steals across 38 minutes. With Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) still sidelined, Gobert is in a great spot to continue to receive additional usage at the center position.
• The Thunder were able to rally in the final minutes and win their second straight contest against the Trail Blazers behind a great showing from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The All-Star candidate finished with 27 points (8-19 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 11-13 FT), six rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals over 35 minutes. Over his last five showings, SGA is averaging 33.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals across 36.6 minutes per game. 
  • Jalen Williams continues to prove his worth as a rookie, finishing with 15 points (5-8 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), four rebounds and one assist over 30 minutes. The Santa Clara product even threw down a go-ahead dunk to take the lead in the final minutes for the Thunder. Williams has started five straight games for OKC, averaging 12.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game over that span. 
• Domantas Sabonis dropped in a massive triple-double for the Kings during their 134-120 win over the Lakers, ending with 13 points (4-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 21 rebounds, 12 assists and one steal across 37 minutes. Sabonis is averaging 20.3 points, 15.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists throughout his first 10 appearances in December. Since the beginning of the month, Sabonis ranks as the No. 6 overall nine-category option. 
  • De'Aaron Fox was ejected in the fourth quarter after receiving two technical fouls. The speedster guard still ended with 22 points (7-13 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 8-9 FT), four rebounds and six assists over 30 minutes. 
• The Lakers may have come up short, but Thomas Bryant continues to fill in nicely for Los Angeles in place of Anthony Davis (foot). Bryant ended the loss with 17 points (6-9 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 10 rebounds, four assists and one steal across 28 minutes.
  • The Indiana product has started the past three games for Los Angeles, averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per showing. Since entering the Lakers' starting lineup, Bryant ranks as the 98th overall nine-category option. 
• Perhaps the biggest shock of the night was actually the Clippers having a full roster. Los Angeles took advantage of this rarity and defeated the Hornets 126-105. Paul George led the way with a near triple-double, recording 22 points (7-15 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 4-4 FT), eight rebounds, eight assists, one steal and one block over 30 minutes of play.
  • In his first seven games since returning from his hamstring injury, George is averaging 22.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.0 steals across 33.3 minutes per game.
• LaMelo Ball dropped his first triple-double of the season in the loss to the Clippers, finishing with 25 points (10-26 FG, 4-13 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 12 assists, 11 rebounds and two steals over 37 minutes. While fantasy managers have not had the start of the season they were anticipating with Ball, outings like these are certainly encouraging moving forward.
  • In his first five games since returning from his second ankle injury of the season, Ball is averaging 25.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game -- good for the 15th overall nine-category option over that span.

Best and Worst of the Night

• Best of the Night: Pascal Siakam - 52 points (17-25 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 16-18 FT) to go with nine rebounds, seven assists and one steal across 41 minutes.
• Worst of the Night: Derrick White - Two points (0-7 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, three assists, one block, one steal and three turnovers across 26 minutes. 
• Rookie of the Night: Paolo Banchero - 23 points (9-20 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 4-8 FT), 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals across 32 minutes