Around the Association: Wild Buzzer-Beaters, Edwards Goes Off, Don't Sleep on Utah

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 wild night around the league. Here is all you need to know:

Nightly Notables

Shorthanded Heat surprise 76ers

• The Miami Heat were without Jimmy Butler (tailbone), Tyler Herro (quad), Bam Adebayo (thumb) and Caleb Martin (COVID), but were still able to defeat the 76ers in Philadelphia by a score of 101-96.
  • Gabe Vincent stepped up for the Heat, dropping 26 points (8-16 FG, 7-12 3Pt, 3-5 FT), two rebounds, three assists and one block over 35 minutes while hitting a go-ahead three in the final minute for Miami. Vincent has averaged 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game over his past three outings while starting for the Heat as they deal with their COVID situation.
    • Duncan Robinson: 21 points (6-16 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 5-5 FT), eight rebounds, three assists and one steal over 39 minutes.
• This was a pretty disappointing night for the 76ers as they are practically all healthy but still lost at home to a very depleted Heat squad. Tyrese Maxey had an efficient performance in the defeat, finishing with 27 points (11-15 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), five assists, three rebounds and one block over 41 minutes of action. The second-year pro impressed in the second half with his ability to finish near the rim as he dropped his second straight 20-point outing.
  • Tobias Harris: 24 points (9-18 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes.

Austin Reaves plays hero in overtime

• Despite the Mavericks being without Luka Doncic (ankle) for Wednesday's contest, they were still able to take the Lakers into overtime before ultimately losing 107-104. First, Wayne Ellington drilled a corner three-pointer in regulation to send the game into extra time before  Austin Reaves buried a three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to seal the win. The rookie out of Oklahoma finished with a career-high 15 points (5-6 3Pt), seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 32 minutes. Reaves has seen at least 23 minutes in each of the Lakers' last three outings as they deal with their COVID situation.
  • Russell Westbrook finished just shy of a triple-double with 23 points (8-18 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 6-8 FT), 10 rebounds and nine assists over 42 minutes. The veteran guard hit some clutch shots down the stretch and has scored over 19 in each of his last two showings.
  • LeBron James: 24 points (9-19 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 2-3 FT), three rebounds, five assists and one steal in 43 minutes.
• Jalen Brunson led the way for Dallas during the defeat. The guard dropped  25 points (11-18 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-3 FT), three rebounds and nine assists across 38 minutes. Brunson will continue to be a solid fantasy asset as long as Doncic remains out of the lineup.
  • Kristaps Porzingis: 23 points (8-23 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 6-6 FT), 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks over 39 minutes.

Devonte' Graham's 61-footer wins it for Pels

• The matchup between New Orleans and Oklahoma City may have been the wildest ending I have ever watched live in a game. Down by three points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attempted a three-point shot while expecting to draw a foul and head to the line. Instead, his off-balance shot swished through and tied the game up. However, with just seconds to spare Devonte' Graham drilled a 61-footer to win the game at the buzzer. The first-year Pelican finished with 15 points (5-14 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 0-1 FT), eight assists, four rebounds and a steal in 33 minutes in the wild win.
  • Brandon Ingram was on his game during the victory. The forward posted 34 points (11-21 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 11-15 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and one steal in 37 minutes. Ingram is starting to heat up for New Orleans, dropping 24 or more in seven out of his last eight outings.
  • Jonas Valanciunas: 19 points (8-10 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 16 rebounds, one block and two steals over 34 minutes.
• Gilgeous-Alexander was impressive throughout the whole contest and ended the loss with 33 points (10-25 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 9-9 FT), five rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 37 minutes. This was a solid performance to see out of SGA after the young guard posted two straight games scoring under 20 points.
  • Josh Giddey continues to be one of the more impressive rookies and finished with 17 points (8-18 FG, 1-5 3Pt), nine rebounds, seven assists and one steal over 37 minutes. The 6-foot-8 facilitator has now posted at least seven assists in three out of his last four appearances and his 5.8 dimes per game lead all rookies.

Jazz topple Clippers, win eighth in a row

• So first it was the Suns' turn to slowly ascend the Western Conference standings, but now the Jazz are on that same path as they have quietly won eight straight contests. Donovan Mitchell continued his elite play as of late, recording 27 points (10-15 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 5-6 FT), six assists and two steals over 31 minutes Wednesday. During Utah's winning streak, the All-Star guard is averaging 29.2 points per game on 43.3 percent shooting from deep.
  • Bojan Bogdanovic caught fire from deep and finished with 20 points (7-10 FG, 6-7 3Pt), two steals, one rebound and one assist in just 25 minutes.
  • Rudy Gobert also did his thing with 20 points (8-10 FG, 4-7 FT), 17 rebounds, three assists and two blocks over 27 minutes.
• The Clippers have now been without Paul George (elbow) for four straight contests and have gone 2-2 in that span. Marcus Morris dropped 24 points (10-20 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 2-3 FT) for the second straight night to go with eight rebounds and one assist in 32 minutes. The veteran figures to continue to see additional usage as long as George remains out of the lineup.
  • Eric Bledsoe: 21 points (8-10 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 1-3 FT), eight rebounds, five assists and one steal across 31 minutes off of the bench,

Anthony Edwards' 10 threes power Wolves over Nuggets

• The Minnesota Timberwolves traveled to Denver to face the Nuggets and ended up winning 124-107 behind a monster night from Anthony Edwards. The second-year star finished the contest 38 points (14-21 FG, 10-14 3Pt), five rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal over 33 minutes. Edward's 10 triples marked a new career-high as he continues his solid fantasy season, ranking 34th overall in nine-category leagues on a per-game basis.
  • Karl-Anthony Towns also impressed for Minnesota during the victory. The All-Star center recorded 32 points (12-18 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 5-5 FT), four rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block over 35 minutes. Towns is playing some of the best ball of his career as of recently, averaging 27.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game over his last eight showings.
• Despite taking the loss, Nikola Jokic continues to be absolutely incredible for the Nuggets. The reigning MVP put up 27 points (11-16 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-5 FT), 11 assists, 10 rebounds and one steal over 34 minutes. Since returning from his wrist injury, Jokic is posting video game numbers and is averaging 26.9 points, 13.7 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game over his last nine showings. Jokic is back to being the No. 1 overall nine-category fantasy option this season.
  • I was very impressed by the play of Zeke Nnaji off of the bench for Denver. The second-year forward recorded 13 points (5-8 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-3 FT), nine rebounds, and one block over 22 minutes of action. This was just Nnaji's third outing reaching double-figures this season, but the Arizona product looked good out showing off his impressive athleticism and shooting.

Best and Worst of the Night

• Best of the Night: Gordon Hayward - 41 points (15-19 FG, 5-6 3Pt, 6-6 FT), five rebounds and three assists over just 29 minutes of play.
• Worst of the Night: Garrison Mathews - One point (0-6 FG, 0-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), three rebounds, one assist and four turnovers over 28 minutes.
• Rookie of the Night: Austin Reaves - 15 points (5-6 3Pt), seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 32 minutes.

Quick Hitters

• The Milwaukee Bucks were without both Giannis Antetokounmpo (COVID) and Khris Middleton (knee) but were still able to defeat the Indiana Pacers by a score of 114-99 after a strong fourth quarter. Jrue Holiday had perhaps his best outing of the season in the win, posting 26 points (12-18 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-4 FT), 14 rebounds, four assists and one steal over 32 minutes. If Middleton and Antetokounmpo continue to be sidelined, Holiday's fantasy value is certainly at a season-high for the time being.
  • Jordan Nwora slid into the starting lineup in place of Middleton and really impressed during the victory. The Louisville product is always looking for his shot and ended the win with 15 points (7-15 FG, 1-5 3Pt), six rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block over 27 minutes.
  • This was a really bad and inexcusable loss for the Pacers as Milwaukee was incredibly short-handed. Indiana plays Detroit on Thursday, but then its next contest doesn't come until the following Tuesday against the Heat. I have a feeling that this Pacers team may look very different by the time that the Miami game comes around. Myles Turner had a solid performance on both ends of the floor 13 points (5-12 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, five blocks, three assists and two steals over 30 minutes of play.
• Gordon Hayward exploded for his best performance of the season during Charlotte's 131-115 win over the Spurs. The veteran forward finished with a season-best 41 points (15-19 FG, 5-6 3Pt, 6-6 FT), five rebounds and three assists over just 29 minutes of play. Hayward has now crossed the 30 point mark in two out of his last four appearances as the Hornets continue to get more healthy.
  • Miles Bridges: 19 points (8-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-4 FT), eight rebounds, eight assists and one block over 40 minutes.
• Bryn Forbes caught fire off the bench for the Spurs despite their defeat to Charlotte. The sharpshooting guard posted 25 points (6-11 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 10-10 FT), one rebound and one assist in just 19 minutes of action.
  • Derrick White: 18 points (2-10 FG, 2-6 3Pt 10-10 FT), seven assists, six rebounds in 30 minutes.
• De'Aaron Fox continues to get back on the right track after the Kings defeated the Wizards by a score of 119-105 at home. The Kentucky product has been off to a very disappointing start to year No. 5, but he ended Wednesday's showing with 28 points (10-16 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 8-13 FT), four rebounds and four assists over 31 minutes. Fox has now recorded at least 28 points in four out of his last five showings as he is starting to find his groove as the season progresses.
  • Tyrese Haliburton: eight points (4-12 FG, 0-6 3Pt), eight rebounds, nine assists, three blocks and three steals in 36 minutes.
• Bradley Beal had one of his better scoring outings of the season despite the defeat. The All-Star guard finished the loss with 30 points (13-24 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 2-4 FT), five rebounds, five assists and one steal in 36 minutes. This was just his second 30-point outing in his last 13 appearances.
• Trae Young helped push the Atlanta Hawks over the Magic by a score of 111-99 with 28 points (11-22 FG, 1-8 3Pt, 5-5 FT), four rebounds, four assists and two steals over 30 minutes. It was not a great outside shooting display, but Young is still playing out of his mind as of late and is averaging 30.7 points and 9.7 assists per game over his last 10 time taking the court.
  • John Collins: 21 points (8-14 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-3 FT), 10 rebounds and two assists over 36 minutes
• Mo Bamba (ankle) was held out of Orlando's defeat to Atlanta and Moritz Wagner stepped up in his absence. The big had his best outing of the season, posting 19 points (6-9 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six rebounds and one assist over 18 minutes
  • Terrence Ross: 8 points (7-17 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 4-5 FT), seven rebounds, eight assists, one block and one steal over 32 minutes.
• The Cleveland Cavaliers absolutely man-handled the Houston Rockets by a score of 124-89. Darius Garland led the way for Cleveland with 21 points (7-11 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three assists and two rebounds over 25 minutes.
  • Isaac Okoro continues to be scorching hot for the Cavaliers as he posted 20 points (7-9 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three rebounds and one steal over 21 minutes during the win. The second-year wing is averaging 18.5 points per game over his last four appearances after averaging just 7,4 points per game leading up to that stretch. Okoro also had a mean jam over three Rockets' players.

• Alperen Sengun The Rockets were without Christian Wood (knee) during their big loss to Cleveland, but Alperen Sengun did play well in his absence. The rookie out of Turkey finished with 19 points (7-14 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 11 rebounds, five assists, one block and two steals in 28 minutes. This was Sengun's career-high in minutes, and he responded by posting career-highs in both points and rebounds.
  • Sengun has impressed in his limited playing time and is a player who is in line to see much more run as the season goes on. If you have an open roster spot and Sengun is available, I would highly advise picking him up before its too late.
• Desmond Bane continues to just be absolutely water from behind the three-point line as the Grizzlies handled the Trail Blazers 113-103. The second-year wing posted a team-high 23 points (8-13 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 2-2 FT) to go with six rebounds and four assists over 30 minutes. I have said this before but I want to put it back out on record: it will not surprise me one bit to see Bane win the three-point contest this season.
  • Dillon Brooks: 22 points (6-16 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 8-10 FT), seven rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes.
• Norman Powell put up a team-high 25 points (7-18 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks over 40 minutes during Portland's loss to Memphis. The wing has started to impress as of late, posting at least 23 points in four out of his last five showings.

A Look Ahead to Thursday Night 

• Can Kevin Durant keep the (extremely) shorthanded Nets rolling against the 76ers?
• A struggling New York Knicks team looks to get back on track against the Rockets in Houston.
• Bradley Beal takes his Wizards squad into The Valley against the Suns.