Around the Association: Embiid Propels Sixers, Bulls Win Without DeRozan

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Published on December 7, 2021

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 last night. Here is all you need to know.

Nightly Notables

Embiid pushes 76ers past Hornets in OT

Joel Embiid was unstoppable during the 76ers' 127-124 overtime win over the Hornets. The All-Star center dropped 43 points (15-20 FG, 1-2 3PT, 12-14 FT), 15 rebounds, seven assists and one steal in 41 minutes. This marked Embiid's fifth straight double-double as he starts to find his groove since coming back from his COVID absence.
Tobias Harris: 21 points (7-18 FG, 2-5 3PT, 5-7 FT), 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal across 41 minutes
Kelly Oubre continues to provide for the Hornets' offense as they deal with the COVID-related absences of Miles Plumlee, LaMelo Ball, Jalen McDaniels and Terry Rozier. The wing started once again and finished with 35 points (13-24 FG, 6-13 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five rebounds, three assists, one block and four steals across 43 minutes. Oubre has averaged 31.5 points per game over his last two
Miles Bridges: 16 points (6-16 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), six rebounds and six assists

Grizzles topple Heat for fifth straight win

When Ja Morant went down with a knee injury, it may have been easy to write off the Grizzlies. However, they have responded amazingly and have rattled off five straight victories after a 105-90 win in Miami. Dillon Brooks once again looked great in the win, ending with 21 points (8-21 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 36 minutes. This is just his second time scoring 20 or more in his last five outings, but his eight assists marked a new season-high.
Desmond Bane also continues to provide for the Grizzlies' offense with Morant out, totaling 21 points (7-15 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 4-4 FT), eight rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals over 31 minutes. In the five games that Morant has missed, the guard has dropped at least 18 points four times.
Jimmy Butler returned to the court after missing Miami's last four games due to a tailbone injury, but the All-Star wing appeared to re-aggravate the injury in the loss and had to exit the contest early. Tyler Herro figures to return to the Heat starting lineup if Butler is forced to miss time once again.
Speaking of Herro, the Kentucky product dropped a team-high 24 points (11-19 FG, 2-4 3Pt), four assists and three rebounds in 28 minutes off of the bench.

SGA comes back and leads Thunder over Pistons

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed the Thunder's last contest due to a concussion but was able to come back and help lead OKC to a 114-103 victory to snap an eight game losing streak. The young guard recorded 30 points (9-20 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 12-15 FT), two rebounds, 13 assists and two blocks in 37 minutes. This marked his second straight 30 point outing and his first double-double of the year.
Luguentz Dort: 28 points (9-19 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 5-5 FT), two rebounds, two blocks and two steals over 37 minutes.
The more games that Cade Cunningham gets under his belt, the more confident of a player he is becoming. The No. 1 overall pick finished with 28 points (11-24 FG, 6-11 3Pt), 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals in 36 minutes to become the youngest player ever to finish with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists while drilling five triples. If Cunningham can continue to have efficient performances like these, he is a no brainer fantasy option in all formats.
Jerami Grant: 20 points (9-16 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), six rebounds, five assists and two blocks across 35 minutes.

DeRozan-less Bulls beat Jokic and Nuggets

The Bulls were hit with some rough news prior to Monday's contest that DeMar DeRozan was being placed in the Health and Safety Protocols. Despite not having DeRozan or Alex Caruso (hamstring), Chicago was able to handle the Nuggets 109-97.
Zach LaVine dominated with a game-high 32 points (13-23 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three rebounds, eight assists and one steal in 39 minutes. The high-flying guard ranks as the 26th best nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis and figures to pick up even more usage if DeRozan is forced to sit out more showings.
Lonzo Ball had a productive performance with DeRozan out of the lineup. The first-year Bull went for 20 points (7-15 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocks across 40 minutes.
Nikola Jokic dominated despite the losing effort and posted his third triple-double of the season with 17 points (6-17 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 12 rebounds, 15 assists and two steals over 36 minutes. The Joker remains an elite fantasy option at center each and every night.
Monte Morris finished with 19 points (8-13 FG, 3-5 3Pt), four rebounds, seven assists and one steal across 35 minutes and now has four games with at least 10 points and five assists in his last five appearances.

Hawks set a franchise record

The Atlanta Hawks were on fire during their 121-110 win over the Timberwolves as they drilled 25 triples to set a new franchise record. Trae Young continues to play at a career-best level, dropping 29 points (7-18 FG,4-9 3Pt, 11-13 FT), 11 assists, seven rebounds and two steals across 35 minutes. The All-Star guard now has four straight 25 point double-doubles under his belt.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot: 23 points (8-18 FG, 7-14 3Pt), two rebounds, two assists and one steal across 37 minutes.
Monday's loss was certainly not Karl-Anthony Towns' fault as the All-Star center posted 31 points (11-24 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 5-7 FT), 16 rebounds, six assists and one block in 41 minutes in his first game back after missing his last contest due to a tailbone injury.
Malik Beasley: 24 points (9-18 FG, 6-13 3Pt), five rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes off of the bench.

Best and Worst of the Night

Best of the Night: Joel Embiid - 43 points (15-20 FG, 1-2 3PT, 12-14 FT), 15 rebounds, seven assists and one steal in 41 minutes.
Worst of the Night: Seth Curry - Six points (3-11 FG, 0-6 3Pt, 0-1 FT), four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 40 minutes.
Rookie of the Night: Cade Cunningham - 28 points (11-24 FG, 6-11 3Pt), 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals in 36 minutes

Quick Hitters

Domantas Sabonis neared an impressive triple-double during the Pacers' 116-110 win over the Wizards, dropping 30 points (11-15 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 8-8 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists, one block and three steals across 36 minutes.
- A report Tuesday morning suggests the Pacers are very much open to dealing Sabonis, Myles Turner and/or Caris LeVert before the deadline
Bradley Beal found his shooting stroke in Washington's loss, finishing with 34 points (12-19 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 9-10 FT), two rebounds and four assists across 39 minutes in one of his best outings of the year. Washington has dropped four out of their last five.
Yesterday marked Giannis Antetokounmpo's 27th birthday, and the two-time MVP fittingly finished with 27 points (9-19 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 6-7 FT), 12 rebounds, two assists and one block in 27 minutes during Milwaukee's 112-104 win over the Cavs.
Khris Middleton dropped 21 points (7-16 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 7-8 FT), eight assists and three rebound in 35 minutes to record his fourth straight outing with at least 20 points under his belt.
Jarrett Allen led Cleveland once again as the improved center ended with 25 points (10-12 FG, 5-5 FT), nine rebounds and two blocks across 38 minutes during in the Cavaliers' loss.
With Devin Booker (hamstring) still out of the lineup, the Suns were able to squeak past the Spurs by a score of 112-104. Chris Paul continues to bask in the fountain of youth as the veteran point guard ended with 21 points (9-18 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 1-3 FT), three rebounds, 10 assists, one block and one steal in 35 minutes. The 36-year-old is literally having one of his best career season here in year No. 17
Dejounte Murray continues to establish himself as one of the best playmakers in the league as he finished with 17 points (7-12 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), six rebounds, 14 assists and two steals across 34 minutes. He sits as the 11th best nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis this season.
Paul George ended with a team-high 21 points (9-18 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 3-5 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and four steals over 39 minutes during the Clippers' 102-90 win over the short-handed Trail Blazers.
Portland was without Damian Lillard (abdomen) and CJ McCollum (ribs), which led to Jusuf Nurkic putting up one of his best outings of the season with 31 points (12-19 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 6-10 FT), five rebounds, one assist and one block over 30 minutes during the Trail Blazers' loss. This marked the centers first 30 point outing of the season.
Norman Powell also saw an uptick in usage with Portland's starting backcourt sidelined, ending with a season-high 29 points (10-24 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 7-8 FT), five rebounds and one assist in 44 minutes
Stephen Curry is now just 16 three-pointers away from breaking Ray Allen's all-time regular season three-point record after an impressive 31 points (8-16 FG, 7-13 3Pt, 8-8 FT), three rebounds, eight assists and two steals outing during the Warriors' 125-96 win over the Magic.
Andrew Wiggins also caught fire during the Warriors' win, drilling a career-high eight three-pointers en route to 28 points (9-17 FG, 8-10 3Pt, 2-4 FT), three rebounds, three assists and one steal over 30 minutes.

Rookie Spotlight

Franz Wagner: 15 points (7-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt), four rebounds, six assists and three steals in 30 minutes
- Yet another solid all-around performance from the rookie out of Michigan. Wagner is nearing top 100 fantasy value as he sits as the 108th best nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis.
James Bouknight: 11 points (4-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, one assist and one turnover in 22 minutes
- As the Hornets deal with their COVID conundrum, James Bouknight saw a new season-high in minutes and finished with his first career double-digit scoring effort. The rookie out of UConn figures to continue to be involved in the Hornets' offense for a few more games.
- JT Thor also saw increased usage with eight points (3-5 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds, two assists and one block in 20 minutes.
Josh Primo: Five points (2-5 FG, 1-3 3Pt), four blocks, three steals and two rebounds in 17 minutes.
- I was really impressed with the limited action I saw out of Primo during his career-best performance Monday. The rookie out of Alabama was a beast on the defensive end and I am very interested in seeing him used more in San Antonio
Brandon Boston: 13 points (5-11 FG, 3-6 3Pt) and one rebound in 19 minutes.
- The second-rounder out of Kentucky is starting to find himself seeing more minutes in the Clippers' offense. Boston is averaging 8.5 points over 16.0 minutes during his last four contests. While those numbers don't blow you away, it is pretty clear that the wing is starting to get more involved. He's looked really good in the G League after looking overmatched through most of his lone season in Lexington.
Ayo Dosunmu: 11 points (4-6 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, eight assists and one steal over 42 minutes
- With Alex Caruso (hamstring) and DeMar DeRozan (COVID) out for the Bulls, Dosunmu slid into the starting lineup and put up a career performance in the win. The rookie out of Illinois is worthy of a short-term stream with DeRozan and Caruso each expected to miss at least a couple more games.

A Look Ahead to Tuesday Night

Will Luka Doncic return to the court when the Mavericks match up against the Nets?
We have a nice veteran coaching duel between Tom Thibodeau and Gregg Popovich when the Knicks travel to San Antonio.
An all-time classic rivalry matchup take place when the Celtics and Lakers meet in Los Angeles.