Around the Association: 10 Fantasy Takeaways + A Ranking the MVP Candidates

This article is part of our NBA Daily Recap series.

Welcome to Around the Association! 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 a wild weekend across the league:

Weekend Notables 

• Tatum Explosion
  • The Celtics lost their first game of the weekend 109-105 to the Trail Blazers behind a monster 29 point and 17 rebound performances from Jusuf Nurkic. However, Jayson Tatum and Boston responded beautifully during its Sunday matchup against Washington.
  • The Celtics took care of business and won the game 116-87 while Tatum dropped a season-high 51 points (18-28 FG, 9-14 3Pt, 6-6 FT), 10 rebounds and seven assists across 33 minutes during Sunday's 116-87 win over Washington. The All-Star wing averaged 39.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game over his two weekend appearances while Boston moved to 24-24 on the season.

• Grayson Allen vs. The Bulls

• The Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks were dueling during Friday's contest at Fiserv Forum when controversy struck. Alex Caruso was streaking down the court on a fast break and went up to make a finish, only to be torn to the ground by Grayson Allen. The Duke product was subsequently ejected while Caruso stayed in the game. 
• The Bucks ended up winning 94-90 behind a monster performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo. The reigning finals MVP finished with 30 points (11-23 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 8-12 FT), 12 boards, three dimes, two blocks and one steal. However, the real loss for Chicago was that Caruso suffered a fractured wrist as a result of the play and will be forced to miss six to eight weeks. The Bucks travel to Chicago on March 23rd and that is certainly a game I will be circling on my calendar.
  • The NBA announced Sunday that Allen has been suspended one game.
  • While we are talking about the Bulls, I think it is important to bring up DeMar DeRozan's strong weekend. Chicago may have gone 0-2 over the weekend and are desperately awaiting the return of Zach LaVine (who has a chance to return Monday), but DeRozan still averaged an impressive 38.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game over his two appearances.
• Here come the Hawks
  • I remember before this weekend started, I was shocked to see that the Hawks were sitting at a 19-25 record. However, they continued to get back on the right track starting with a tough 110-108 win over the Miami Heat. Atlanta was leading by nearly 20 points at a time, but Miami had a chance to win the game only for Jimmy Butler's three-point shot to fall short. Trae Young continued his absolutely brilliant season as he finished with 28 points (6-15 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 12-15 FT), three rebounds, seven assists and one steal across 36 minutes.
    • Bam Adebayo finished with a team-high 21 points (7-13 FG, 7-7 FT), six rebounds, five assists and one steal across 34 minutes during Friday's loss.
  • The Hawks then followed up Friday's win with an easy 113-91 win in Charlotte. Young did his thing once again, putting up 30 points (9-20 FG, 8-15 3Pt, 4-5 FT), four rebounds, four assists and one steal across 35 minutes. Atlanta has now won four games in a row and sits at 21-25 as it continue to find its groove.
    • LaMelo Ball ended Sunday's loss with 19 points (6-17 FG, 0-8 3Pt, 7-7 FT), six rebounds, and four assists across 34 minutes while also recording this slick dime.

• T'Wolves handle Nets
  • I thought that Brooklyn's matchup against the Timberwolves was one of the more interesting games of the weekend. It was a pretty tight game throughout the first half but Minnesota was able to pull away late and won the contest 136-125. It was a great showing from the Timberwolves big three as Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards combined for 71 points as they all scored between 23 and 25 points. Minnesota now sits at 23-23 which is good for seventh in the West.
  • Kyrie Irving was simply put awesome in the loss. The shot-creator totaled 30 points (11-20 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 5-5 FT), six rebounds, five assists and one steal in 35 minutes. Irving is averaging 27.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game over his last four appearances. Say what you want about his personal views and stance on COVID, but there is no denying that the All-Star has one of the most complete packages in NBA history and it is seriously a joy to watch him handle the rock.
    • Irving will miss the Nets' next three contests -- two in Brooklyn and one in San Francisco, which has a similar vaccine mandate to New York City's.
• Grizzlies split the weekend, but Ja impresses
  • The Memphis Grizzlies took apart in two games over the weekend and Ja Morant shined in both of them. First, Memphis was able to defeat the Nuggets 122-118 while on the road. Morant went off for 38 points (15-26 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 6-8 FT), six rebounds, six assists and two steals across 37 minutes. Jaren Jackson also did his thing with 20 points (8-17 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-6 FT), five rebounds, one assist and four blocks.
    • Nikola Jokic was also incredible during this game despite the losing effort. The reigning MVP finished with 26 points (11-16 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 11 rebounds, 12 assists, two steals and one block across 40 minutes. This marked his fourth consecutive triple-double. Over the weekend, Jokic averaged 30.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists per game
  • Next, the Grizzlies traveled to Dallas on Sunday to take on the Mavericks. Memphis ended up losing 104-91, but Morant still continued his incredible play. He ended the defeat with 35 points (14-31 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 7-10 FG), 13 rebounds, six assists and one steal across 41 minutes. Morant's 31 shot attempts marked a new career-high.
    • The main reason that Memphis fell to the Mavericks was the impressive play of Luka Doncic. The star guard shined with 37 points (13-25 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 9-12 FT), 11 rebounds, nine assists, three steals and one block. 
• Embiid won't slow down
  • Similar to Morant and the Grizzlies, the 76ers split their two showings over the weekend but Joel Embiid still absolutely dominated in both of the team's outings. The 76ers first surprisingly fell to the short-handed Clippers 102-101. The loss certainly was not Embiid's fault as the MVP candidate dropped a game-high 40 points (15-25 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 7-10 FT), 13 rebounds, six assists and one block over 37 minutes.
    • Reggie Jackson was able to push the Clippers to victory with a pair of clutch free throws as he finished with 9 points (8-14 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds and nine assists over 29 minutes. The veteran point guard has really improved his play as of late and is averaging 24.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game over his last four showings.
  • Philadelphia was able to bounce back in a big way with a 115-109 win in San Antonio on Sunday. Once again, Embiid was phenomenal as he put up 38 points (16-32 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 12 rebounds, six assists and one block across 32 minutes. Over his last 17 outings, the star center has averaged 33.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
• Wizards and Raptors battle it out
  • Perhaps the most thrilling contest of the weekend was the matchup between the Wizards and Raptors in Washington. It was a tight contest for the majority of the game and was all tied up at 102 with one minute left. Fred VanVleet drilled a clutch three-pointer to push Toronto ahead and eventually win the game 109-105.
  • FVV dropped in 21 points (6-17 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 5-5 FT), one rebound, 12 assists, two blocks and two steals in 39 minutes, but the real star of the game for the Raptors was Scottie Barnes. The rookie finished with a new personal-best 27 points (12-19 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), eight rebounds, one assist and one steal across 40 minutes. Toronto struck gold with this kid
  • Bradley Beal did all he could to help push the Wizards to victory, recording 25 points (10-19 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 4-5 FT), five rebounds and eight assists over 40 minutes. The guard is averaging 23.9 points and 8.1 assists per game during his nine appearances over the month of January and ranks as the 32nd overall nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis over that span.
• Wild Warriors weekend

• The Golden State Warriors had themselves a crazy weekend playing two very different teams. First, the Warriors surprisingly were a part of a very tight game against the Rockets. Houston was even winning at halftime, but the game was eventually tied in the last seconds. Stephen Curry was able to win the game for the Warriors with a buzzer-beating jumper while finishing with 22 points (6-21 FG, 4-13 3Pt, 6-8 FT), four rebounds, 12 assists, one block and one steal over 39 minutes. This was Curry's first career true buzzer-beater.
• Golden State's next opponent was against a much more tough Utah Jazz team. This was a great game that came down to the wire as the Warriors found were leading 94-92 in the final seconds. Bojan Bogdanovic had a chance to win the game with a step-back three and Royce O'Neale's game-tying tip-in just rimmed out.
  • Stephen Curry was really held in check from three, going just 1-13 from beyond the arc and scoring just 13 points. Jordan Poole led the way in the win with a team-best 20 points (7-13 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT) to go with three rebounds, two assists and one block over 34 minutes.
• Heat get revenge on Lakers
  • The Lakers traveled to Miami to take part in a rematch of the 2020 NBA Finals. The game started out as a blowout as Miami was up by over 20 points at a time, but the Lakers were able to storm back and found themselves down by four points in the final minute. However, it was too little too late as the Heat hung on for a 113-107 win.
  • Jimmy Butler was sensational in the victory, finishing with 20 points (7-18 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), 12 assists, 10 rebounds, two steals and one block across 39 minutes. This is Butler's second triple-double in his last four games.
  • LeBron James continued his astonishing season during the Lakers' loss. The King totaled 33 points (12-22 FG, 1-8 3Pt, 8-11 FT), 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals in 40 minutes. James is averaging 29.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game on the season. What is amazing is that his 29.0 points per game average would be his most since the 2009-10 season -- his last year before leaving Cleveland for the Heat. It's a bummer the Lakers can't find the winning column more often because James would most likely be the MVP favorite of Los Angeles was in a better spot
• Cade gets rolling

• While the weekend was filled with star-studded performances by established elite players, I thought that Cade Cunningham had one of his better stretches of the season. The No. 1 overall selection averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game over his two appearances and finished with a team-high 25 points during Detroit's loss to Utah. While this rookie class has been impressive, it really does seem that Cunningham, Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes are in a tier of their own as the season progresses.

Best and Worst of the Weekend:

• Best of the Weekend: Jayson Tatum - 39.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists across 36.8 minutes per game
• Worst of the Weekend: Talen Horton-Tucker - 3.5 points, 1.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists across 21.1 minutes per game.
• Rookie of the Weekend: Cade Cunningham -  21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game

MVP Ladder

Now that the season is more than halfway over, it's an appropriate time to debut my first MVP Ladder of the season. I'll continue to update it on a weekly basis going forward:

1. Joel Embiid
2. Ja Morant
3. Nikola Jokic
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo
5. Jimmy Butler
6. Kevin Durant
7. Chris Paul
8. Stephen Curry
9. LeBron James
10. DeMar DeRozan

• Next up:
  • Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns