Around the Association: Metu For The Win, Morant Outduels LeBron, Celtics Forget How To Shoot

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.

It was a busy eight-game slate last night -- here is everything you need to know:

Nightly Notables

Metu downs Mavs at the buzzer

• The Luka Doncic-less Mavericks traveled to Sacramento to take on the Kings and the contest was tight throughout. It ended in a dramatic fashion when De'Aaron Fox found Chimezie Metu wide open in the corner and the forward drilled a three-point shot at the buzzer to win 95-94. Metu finished the contest with 11 points (4-8 FG, 3-5 3Pt), eight rebounds, one block and one steal in 20 minutes.
  • Tyrese Haliburton continues to prove himself as an elite playmaker in just his second season. The guard finished with 12 points (4-13 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), two rebounds and 10 assists over 36 minutes to mark his sixth double-double in his last seven appearances.
• Jalen Brunson keeps shining as Doncic remains sidelined. The Villanova product ended the contest with 25 points (11-19 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), two rebounds, six assists and one steal over 36 minutes. Brunson is averaging an impressive 20.8 points and 7.3 assists while starting the team's last nine contests.
  • Kristaps Porzingis: 24 points (8-19 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 7-8 FT), seven rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal across 35 minutes.

Ja wins duel with LeBron and Lakers

• Last night's contest between the Grizzlies and Lakers easily featured my favorite head-to-head player matchup this season as Ja Morant and LeBron James absolutely shined. The Lakers got off to a quick lead against Memphis, but the Grizzlies were able to come back and win 104-99. Morant exploded for a season-high  41 points (13-27 FG, 6-7 3Pt, 9-12 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals across 36 minutes. It was a serious jaw-dropping performance from the young star.
  • So the Grizzlies have a really good team and are full of talent, but honestly I truthfully believe the team's second-best player is Desmond Bane. The second-year guard ended with 20 points (6-18 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 5-5 FT), four rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in 35 minutes and is averaging 21.6 points per game over his last eight games.
• James and the Lakers may have taken the loss, but what The King did last night was unbelievable. He finished with 37 points (13-25 FG, 8-14 3Pt, 3-3 FT), 13 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two steals across 38 minutes while constantly drilling tough shots throughout. The 37-year-old is averaging a casual 32.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists over his last seven showings, however, the Lakers are just 1-6 over that span.
  • Russell Westbrook played decently and put up his third straight triple-double with 16 points (7-16 FG, 2-4 3Pt), 10 rebounds and 12 assists across 40 minutes. Even so, Westbrook continues to be a mess in crunch time and a disaster on the defensive end.

Knicks bench leads New York over Detroit

• The Detroit Pistons were incredibly short-handed when the Knicks came into town and although New York got the 94-85 win, the results were not encouraging for them. The Knicks starters finished a combined minus-116, while the bench was plus-161. Coach Tom Thibodeau decided to run with his bench late in the game when it got down to crunch time. Alec Burks was amazing in the win as he dropped in 34 points (12-17 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 5-5 FT), four rebounds, two assists and three steals across 27 minutes as a reserve.
  • Immanuel Quickley: 18 points (4-13 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 8-8 FT), one rebound, two assists and one steal across 35 minutes
• Despite taking the loss, this was an impressive effort out of Detroit as literally only three of its active players last night were regular rotation players. Saddiq Bey continues to shine while his fellow teammates are sidelined as he put in 32 points (9-19 FG, 6-13 3Pt, 8-8 FT), nine rebounds, three assists and one block over 43 minutes. The wing is averaging 24.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game over his last six outings.
  • Hamidou Diallo was equally as impressive during Thursday's loss. The guard ended with 31 points (13-19 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-7 FT), 13 rebounds, four assists and four steals across 39 minutes before fouling out. Diallo is averaging 29.5 points over his last two contests and is a very viable fantasy play if Detroit remains depleted.

Suns pull away against Thunder

• The Suns may have beat the short-handed Thunder by a score of 115-9, but that game was much closer than it seems. The Suns were winning by just four points after three quarters, but Devin Booker was able to help the team pull away with an incredible 38-point (12-24 FG, 6-12 3Pt, 8-10 FT), seven-rebound, five-assist and two block performance. D-Book is starting to find his groove, reaching 30 points in three out of his last four showings.
  • Jalen Smith continues to take advantage of Deandre Ayton (COVID-19) being out of the lineup. The second-year big ended with 11 points (4-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 14 rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 25 minutes. He is emerging as a viable fantasy play at the moment as he is averaging 13.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game over the two games Ayton has missed.
• I was really impressed by the effort that the Thunder displayed as they were essentially missing their entire lineup. Ty Jerome shined with 24 points (9-22 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 5-6 FT), eight rebounds, five assists and three steals over 35 minutes as he stepped into Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's (COVID-19) spot in the starting lineup.
  • Aaron Wiggins keeps turning heads as well, recording 22 points (10-19 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 1-1 FT), eight rebounds, one assist and two steals over 38 minutes. He is averaging 20.0 points and 6.3 assists per game over his last three contests.

Celtics go ice-cold against Clippers

• The Paul George-less Clippers traveled to Boston to take on the Jayson Tatum-less Celtics and the game was quite ugly. The Clippers were able to win 91-82, but the game was closer than the score indicating as it was just a four-point game in the final minute. Marcus Morris dropped a team-high 23 points (9-21 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists and one steal over 38 minutes. The veteran has now scored at least 23 points in his last four games.
  • Eric Bledsoe ended with 17 points (6-15 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), four rebounds, four assists and two steals over 32 minutes. He came up clutch for LA, scoring 10 of his points in the fourth.
• This was one of the worst shooting performances in NBA history as Boston shot just 4-for-42 from deep. Jaylen Brown took advantage of was Tatum being out and was the clear focal point of the offense, dropping an inefficient 30 points (13-36 FG, 1-13 3Pt, 3-5 FT), eight rebounds and two steals over 40 minutes.

• Al Horford: Nine points (3-14 FG, 0-7 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 10 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and two steals in 37 minutes

Best and Worst of the Night

• Best of the Night: Ja Morant - 41 points (13-27 FG, 6-7 3Pt, 9-12 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals across 36 minutes
• Worst of the Night: Kemba Walker - Two points (1-5 FG, 0-2 3Pt). two rebounds and two assists across 19 minutes
• Rookie of the Night: Aaron Wiggins - 22 points (10-19 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 1-1 FT), eight rebounds, one assist and two steals over 38 minutes

Quick Hitters

• The Bulls looked amazing during their 131-117 win over the short-handed Atlanta Hawks. Zach LaVine led the way with an efficient 25 points (10-13 FG, 5-7 3Pt), two rebounds and five assists across 32 minutes.
  • Coby White had his best game of the season as he ended with 17 points (6-14 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 2-4 FT), three rebounds, 12 assists and one block over 35 minutes to mark his first double-double of the year
• Despite taking the loss to Chicago, Trae Young still did his thing and ended with 26 points (10-23 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three rebounds and 11 assists over 33 minutes
  • Chaundee Brown: 16 points (5-12 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three rebounds and three assists over 32 minutes
• The Charlotte Hornets got off to a good start and were able to thwart the Pacers' comeback bid and defeated Indiana by a score of 116-108. Terry Rozier was incredible with an electrifying 35 points (13-23 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 4-7 FT), seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals over 38 minutes.
  • LaMelo Ball: 21 points (8-13 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 4-5 FT), 12 rebounds, nine assists and one steal across 34 minutes
• Caris LeVert continues to shine at point guard while Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) remains out. The Michigan product ended with 27 points (8-23 FG, 4-12 3Pt, 7-9 FT), seven rebounds, six assists and two steals in 39 minutes. LeVert is averaging 26.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game over the team's last three showings without Brogdon and one would have to think if this may influence the team to dish Brogdon to a contender.
  • Domantas Sabonis: 15 points (3-9 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 8-14 FT), 18 rebounds, seven assists, one block and two steals in 37 minutes
• Despite still not having Donovan Mitchell, the Jazz got off to a quick start against Portland and never looked back en route to a 120-105 win. Rudy Gobert controlled the paint with 22 points (8-10 FG, 6-12 FT), 14 rebounds and two blocks in 29 minutes.
  • Rudy Gay: 21 points (8-13 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds and one assist in 24 minutes
• Damian Lillard did all he could for Portland in the team's loss to the Jazz, finishing with 32 points (10-23 FG, 5-14 3Pt, 7-10 FT), six rebounds, four assists and one steal over 37 minutes
  • Norman Powell matched his teammate with 32 points (11-23 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 6-6 FT), two rebounds, one assist and one steal across 42 minutes. This was his first 30-point outing this season.

A Look Ahead to Thursday night

• The Brooklyn Nets are finally healthy as the 76ers travel to Brooklyn
• The Wizards and Cavaliers should have an exciting and intense game in Washington
• We get to watch another battle between MVP candidates Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry, though the Nuggets may be dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak
  • Jeff Green, Zeke Nnaji, Bones Hyland and head coach Michael Malone were all placed in protocols Thursday morning