Around the Association: 10 Takeaways From the Weekend in the NBA

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.

Here is all you need to know from the weekend that was:

A DeMarvelous New Year

• I mean, are you kidding me? DeMar DeRozan made NBA history over the weekend by becoming the first player ever to hit back-to-back game-winning buzzer-beaters on consecutive days.
• The Bulls first took on a short-handed Pacers on Friday, but found themselves down by a point in the final seconds. DeRozan heaved a one-footed three-pointer that swished in to push Chicago to a 108-106 victory. The first-year Bull ended with 28 points (10-22 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 7-10 FT), nine rebounds and five assists over 35 minutes. However, that was not enough as he did it again the very next day against the Wizards.
  • Down two with seconds remaining, DeRozan was able to convert a corner three at the buzzer to win the game 120-119 and give the Bulls seven straight wins.
  • Zach LaVine shined against Washington with 35 points (11-22 FG, 7-12 3Pt, 6-6 FT), five rebounds and three assists across 38 minutes.
    • I was impressed with what I saw out of Coby White this weekend. With Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso still out, he started both of the team's contests and averaged 22.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He is starting to look more like his usual shot-creating self as the season continues.

Jaylen Brown puts Celtics on his back

• The Boston Celtics confuse me. On Wednesday, they went 4-for-42 from deep. Then on Friday, they end up gliding through the Suns by a score of 123-108. However, the most memorable game of the weekend actually happened Sunday when the Magic came to town. Boston found itself down by 14 points late in the fourth quarter and was being booed by the fans at TD Garden. Then Jaylen Brown happened. The guard willed the Celtics back into the contest with a 21-points fourth quarter and helped to push Boston to a 116-111 overtime win. Brown ended with a career-high 50 points (19-29 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 7-8 FT), 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal across 46 minutes.
  • Marcus Smart neared a triple-double in the win with 7 points (3-11 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 9-9 FT), seven rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and one steal in 44 minutes.
• Terrence Ross needs to be traded to a contender. The wing scored a season-high 33 points (11-19 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 7-7 FT) to go with five rebounds and three steals across 35 minutes.

Clippers Surprise Nets in Brooklyn

• For the majority of Saturday's matchup between a short-handed Clippers' team and the Nets, Brooklyn had a solid lead throughout. However, Los Angeles stormed back late and was able to win the game 120-116. Eric Bledsoe led the way with a new season-high 27 points (8-12 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 7-9 FT), four assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks over 29 minutes.
  • Amir Coffey: 14 points (5-9 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 1-2 FT), eight rebounds, five assists and one steal across 32 minutes.
• Saturday's defeat certainly was not James Harden's fault. The All-Star guard recorded 34 points (9-22 FG, 3-11 3Pt, 13-15 FT), 13 assists, 12 rebounds and one steal across 40 minutes. Since returning from COVID protocols, Harden is averaging 35.5 points, 12.0 assists, 11.0 rebounds in 39.8 minutes per contest.
  • Kevin Durant: 28 points (11-24 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 4-5 FT), nine rebounds, three assists and one block over 39 minutes.

Campazzo literally breaks Kevin Porter

• The Denver Nuggets took care of business when they traveled to Houston to face the Rockets and won the game 124-111. Facundo Campazzo was simply awesome in the victory as he impacted the games on both sides of the floor with 22 points (7-11 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 5-5 FT), four rebounds, 12 assists, two blocks and five steals in 34 minutes. Campazzo completely broke down Kevin Porter with some slick handles, but more on that below.
  • Nikola Jokic: 24 points (8-12 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 7-9 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists and one block in 25 minutes.
• Jalen Green is really starting to figure it out as of late. The No. 2 overall pick ended with 29 points (6-13 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 12-14 FT), one rebound and one assist in 28 minutes during the loss. Green is averaging 23.0 points per game over Houston's last three showings.
  • Kevin Porter and Christian Wood both were held out of the second half after a reportedly unpleasant halftime locker room incident. This is obviously not the news you want to hear from Porter as he is already onto his second NBA team after similar issues with the Cavaliers. Both players are suspended for Monday's contest against the 76ers.

LeBron, Lakers pick up back-to-back wins

• LeBron James may be 37-years-old, but you would have absolutely no clue by the way that he is playing. The Lakers defeated both the Trail Blazers and Timberwolves over the weekend to improve to 19-19 on the year.
• James shined against Portland on Friday with 43 points (16-26 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 6-9 FT), 14 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in 29 minutes. He did break a  seven-game streak of scoring 30 or more points Sunday, but James still averaged 34.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks during the two Lakers' victories.
  • Malik Monk had a real nice weekend for Los Angeles and is starting to find his scoring touch as of late. The first-year Laker averaged 20.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game over the weekend. He also finished this impossible reverse layup:

Knicks struggle without Randle

• Julius Randle was placed in the league's health and safety protocols earlier last week and missed both of the Knicks' contests over the weekend. As a result, New York lost both of its matchups to both the Thunder and the Raptors.
• RJ Barrett appears to be one of the bigger benefactors of Randle's absence as he averaged 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game during the Knicks' two losses. Maybe this is the jolt that the third-year pro needs as he had topped 20 points just once in his last 19 games prior to the weekend.
  • Obi Toppin made his first two career starts as Randle was forced to watch from home. While his Friday game against the Thunder was quite forgettable, he looked good Sunday afternoon against the Raptors. Toppin finished that contest with 19 points (7-12 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six rebounds, six assists, two blocks and one steal across 45 minutes. If he continues to see that type of run as the Knicks are short-handed, he is a very viable fantasy play.

Spurs-Pistons madness

• The Spurs traveled to Detroit to match up against a very short-handed Pistons team, and the results were surprisingly incredible. It was a tight contest throughout and it looked like the Pistons were going to win in regulation after Saddiq Bey drilled a three-pointer to take the lead. However, it was ruled off due to an offensive foul and the game went to overtime.
  • Bey was able to get redemption after receiving a slick nutmeg pass from Derrick Walton to drill a corner three to win the game 117-116. The sharpshooter finished with 21 points (7-23 FG, 2-12 3Pt, 5-6 FT), a career-high 17 rebounds, three assists and two steals over 47 minutes to go with the game-winner
    • Hamidou Diallo is starting to really turn up as the Pistons are without many of their usual starters. The athletic guard ended the team's victory over San Antonio with 34 points (13-32 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 8-9 FT), 14 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and five steals across 50 minutes. He is averaging 31.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 4.0 steals per game over his last three showings.
• Bryn Forbes had a great showing in the loss. The three-point threat ended the contest with 27 points (10-22 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 2-3 FT), seven rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes. This marked a new season-high for Forbes
  • Derrick White: 18 points (5-13 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 8-10 FT), three rebounds, a career-high14 assists, one block and one steal across 42 minutes.

Giddey steals the show in Doncic's return

• After what feels like ages since we have last seen Luka Doncic play, the All-Star made his first appearance Sunday against the Thunder after missing 10 straight games. Doncic looked fresh and finished the game with 14 points (6-14 FG, 2-6 3Pt), nine rebounds, 10 assists and one steal over 31 minutes while pushing the Mavericks to a 95-86 win over OKC.
  • Kristaps Porzingis was added to the league's health and safety protocols Monday morning. While this hurts Dallas' chance of winning games, this is definitely a boost to Doncic's fantasy value in the short term.
• While most of the eyes were set on Doncic's return, Josh Giddey made history and became the youngest player ever to record a triple-double. The 19-year-old ended with17 points (7-16 FG, 3-5 3Pt), 13 rebounds, 14 assists and four steals in 36 minutes. Giddey had flirted with triple-doubles a few teams, but he was finally able to achieve the mark Sunday.

Warriors win in Utah

• One of the best games of the season took place in Utah when the Warriors and Jazz matched up Saturday night. Golden State got off to a quick start before the Jazz stormed back in the second half. In the end, Stephen Curry proved to be too much and the Warriors got the road-win by a score of 123-116. The sharpshooting playmaker ended with 28 points (8-18 FG, 6-12 3Pt, 6-7 FT), six rebounds, nine assists and one block over 36 minutes.
  • Otto Porter continues to improve his play as of late. The veteran wing ended the win with 20 points (9-14 FG, 2-4 3Pt), seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals in 36 minutes. Porter has started three out of the Warriors' last four appearances and is averaging 15.7 points per game during his starts.
• It was a pretty balanced effort for Utah despite the defeat with four different players scoring exactly 20 points. Donovan Mitchell did not have the best shooting performances, but he was still able to finish with 20 points (4-19 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 10-11 FT), six rebounds, nine assists and two steals over 36 minutes.
  • Rudy Gobert: 20 points (9-10 FG, 2-4 FT), 19 rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes

Kevin Love is back!

• The Cavaliers split their two-weekend contests against Atlanta and Indiana, and Kevin Love continues to show off his rejuvenated play. The forward finished Friday's loss to Atlanta with a season-high 35 points (10-18 FG, 7-14 3Pt, 8-10 FT), 11 rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes. He then helped push Cleveland to victory over Indiana on Sunday with a 20 points (6-13 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 5-5 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and one steal performance while fueling a 17-0 run. Love has dropped at least 20 points in five straight games as he continues to sip the fountain of youth.
  • I feel like this is a good place to talk about how ridiculously good Evan Mobley is in year No. 1. He is already one of Cleveland's best players and averaged 20.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game over the weekend.

Best and Worst of the Weekend 

• Best of the Weekend: DeMar DeRozan - 28.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game to go with two game-winning buzzer-beaters.
• Worst of the Weekend: Christian Wood - 9.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists per game while being Suspended for Monday's contest
• Rookie of the Weekend: Evan Mobley - 20.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game over the weekend.

A Look Ahead to Monday Night

• Can Ja Morant keep the Grizzlies rolling and upset the Nets in Brooklyn?
• The Bulls look for eight straight wins as the Magic travel to town
• European stars Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic face-off when the Nuggets travel to Dallas.
• The Heat and Warriors match up in Golden State.
• It's a Patrick Beverley revenge game as the Timberwolves play the Clippers in LA.