Around the Association: Lillard Goes for 60, AD Returns, Poole Calls Game + More Notes from Wednesday's Slate

This article is part of our NBA Daily Recap series.

Welcome back to another edition of Around the Association. Wednesday night's 10-game slate may very well have been the best night of the season thus far. We witnessed yet another 60-point outing, the return of multiple All-Star players and crazy finishes throughout. Without further ado, let's dive in:

The Need to Know

Lillard Erupts for 60

• Damian Lillard must really not like the Utah Jazz. For the third time in his incredible career, Lillard scored 50 or more points against Utah -- only this time, it took him just three quarters to reach that mark. Lillard ended the game with 60 points (21-29 FG, 9-15 3Pt, 9-10 FT), seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals over 40 minutes to mark his fourth career 60-point outing. Perhaps more importantly, Portland was also able to walk away with a 134-124 win to mark its second straight victory. 

• It has been quite the dominant month of January for Lillard, who is averaging 34.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.2 steals over his first 13 games of 2023. In fact, Lillard currently ranks as the No. 3 overall nine-category option since the start of the new year. Lillard now joins Donovan Mitchell and Luka Doncic as the only players' members of the 60-point club this season. 
• It was not all pretty for the Trail Blazers, with both Josh Hart and Jusuf Nurkic exiting early due to injuries. While the exact extent of the injuries are not known at this time, the likes of Nassir Little, Keon Johnson and Drew Eubanks may potentially be in line for more usage in the short term.
• Collin Sexton is starting to emerge as one of my favorite buy-low players right now. The 24-year-old guard ended Utah's loss with 19 points (8-11 FG, 3-3 3Pt), four rebounds, two assists and one steal over 22 minutes. Sexton has now appeared in six outings since missing seven straight games due to a hamstring injury, averaging 15.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 23.8 minutes since returning.
  • While those numbers don't quite stand out, with both Mike Conley and Malik Beasley being two of the hottest trade-deadline names, Sexton has a very legit shot of seeing his playing time shoot up post-trade deadline. 

Rivals Week Continues

Embiid vs. Simmons, Round #1

• After spending four seasons together in Philadelphia, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid faced off for the first time in their career Wednesday night (Embiid missed the teams' first matchup back in November). Embiid's 76ers got off to a hot start, only for Brooklyn to rush back and even tie the game with under four minutes remaining. However, after some clutch plays from James Harden, Philadelphia was able to walk away with a 137-133 victory. Harden was the team's leading scorer in the fourth and ended with 23 points (6-12 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 6-7 FT), three rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block across 35 minutes. 
  • When looking at how Simmons and Embiid fared off against each other, Embiid unsurprisingly put up the stronger numbers but was not overly efficient from the field. The All-Star center ended with 26 points (6-18 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 13-13 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals over 35 minutes in his first outing against his former teammate. Embiid now is shooting 85-for-94 (90.4 percent) from the free-throw line over his past eight appearances. 
  • Simmons put up a solid 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 FT), five rebounds, five assists and one block over 29 minutes. This was Simmons' highest-scoring outing in his past 13 appearances while the first-year Net ranks as just the 148th overall nine-category option over that span.
• Tyrese Maxey had a monster night off the bench, finishing with 27 points (8-14 FG, 6-9 3Pt, 5-5 FT), three rebounds, five assists and two steals over 30 minutes. Maxey has now come off the bench for four out of his past five appearances but continues to find his groove, averaging 22.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists over 32.2 minutes. I am quite high on Maxey's rest-of-season value in all fantasy formats. 
• Kyrie Irving shined in the losing effort, once again displaying his impressive shot-making ability with an array of difficult shots. He ended the game with 30 points (9-15 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 10-11 FT), two rebounds, 10 assists and two steals over 38 minutes. With Kevin Durant out of the lineup, Irving is starting to really take his game to another level, averaging 36.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists over his past four showings.
  • Nic Claxton was phenomenal in the loss and had some moments of great defense against Embiid. The 23-year-old ended with 25 points (11-12 FG, 3-6 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks across 38 minutes. Claxton is on a tear as of recently, averaging 22.3 points and 10.5 rebounds over his last four appearances. The fourth-year big continues to firmly assert himself as one of the best young centers in the league. He likely won't make the All-Star Game, but the fact that he's even in the conversation says a lot about his development.
  • The Simmons/Embiid drama wasn't the only underlying storyline of Wednesday's game, with Seth Curry facing off against his father-in-law -- and 76ers' head coach -- Doc Rivers. Curry must like playing against family as the veteran guard erupted for a season-high 32 points (11-20 FG, 7-10 3Pt, 3-3 FT), four assists and one steal over 35 minutes. This just marked Curry's second outing scoring over 16 points in his past nine appearances. While the outing was certainly impressive, Curry remains difficult to trust in fantasy due to his inconsistency.

Poole Beats Grizzlies, Curry Ejected Late

• Oh, how thrilling the Jordan Poole Show is. With the Warriors ahead of their new rival Memphis Grizzlies by a score of 116-114 with just over 75 seconds remaining, Poole forced a deep triple that had Stephen Curry throwing his mouthpiece in frustration. Curry was subsequently ejected from the contest while ending with 34 points (10-19 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 10-11 FT), two rebounds, three assists and two steals over 35 minutes. Flash forward to the final seconds with the game tied 120-120, Poole caught the ball off a beautiful inbound pass from Donte DiVincenzo and drilled a layup over a slow-to-react Ziaire Williams to win the game 122-120. 

• In addition to basically getting Curry ejected and hitting the game-winner, Poole recorded 21 points (8-14 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five rebounds, seven assists and one steal over 31 minutes. The 23-year-old has started each of the Warriors' past five games, averaging 25.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists over 36.2 minutes.
• Despite taking the loss, Ja Morant was still impressive with 29 points (10-20 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 7-12 FT), four rebounds, 12 assists, two steals, one block and five turnovers over 35 minutes. The Grizzlies have now lost each of their first two games against the Warriors this season, but Morant is averaging 32.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 10.0 assists and 1.0 steals over their matchups thus far.
  • Brandon Clarke slid into Memphis' starting lineup with Steven Adams out with a knee injury. Clarke played well with 19 points (8-10 FG, 3-4 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and one steal over 32 minutes. With Adams out for 3-to-5 weeks, Clarke is a strong addition in all leagues. 

Back In Action

Edwards Spoils Ingram's Return

• After missing the Pelicans' past 29 games, Brandon Ingram made his return to the lineup Wednesday. However, it was Anthony Edward who stole the show as he lead Minnesota to a 111-102 with 37 points (12-25 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 9-10 FT), six rebounds and five assists across 37 minutes. The third-year guard seemed to be everywhere for the Timberwolves in the win. This marked Edward's third straight game with over 30 points, with him averaging 37.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks over that span.
  • Rudy Gobert impressed in his second game back after missing three games in a row due to a groin injury, totaling 17 points (7-12 FG, 3-5 FT), 12 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block over 35 minutes. Getting Gobert back in the lineup is massive for the Timberwolves, who improved their record to .500. With Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) making his eventual return at some point, I am expecting a strong end of the season for Minnesota.
• Brandon Ingram definitely looked rusty in his first action since Nov. 25. The 25-year-old forward didn't crack the scoreboard until the second quarter while ending with 13 points (4-18 FG, 0-6 3Pt, 5-5 FT), five rebounds, five assists and one steal over 26 minutes. While it may take some time for Ingram to get back to his normal self, it is encouraging to see him play over 25 minutes in just his first game back.

• CJ McCollum shined with a team-high 25 points (9-17 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 2-4 FT), five rebounds, eight assists, one steal and two blocks over 34 minutes. It is great to see McCollum record a strong scoring outing even with Ingram back in the lineup, but his fantasy production is bound to take a dip moving ahead with the star forward back in action combined with Zion Williamson's (knee) eventual return. 

AD Impresses in First Game Back

• Anthony Davis made his return to the court after missing Los Angeles' past 20 games due to a foot injury. The 29-year-old big picked up right where he left off, recording a smooth 21 points (7-15 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 6-7 FT), 12 rebounds, one assist, four blocks and one steal over 26 minutes while the Lakers rallied back to a 113-104 win over the Spurs.

• It's easy to forget that prior to going down with his injury, Davis ranked as the No. 1 overall nine-category fantasy option. While fantasy managers will always have to worry about the injury risks with Davis, his on-court production continues to result lead to elite fantasy numbers.  
  • Rui Hachimura made his Lakers' debut in the win, totaling 12 points (4-7 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-6 FT), six rebounds, one assist and one steal over 22 minutes. Due to Los Angeles' lack of front-court depth, the recently acquired forward is bound to see an increase in production, however, I am still a bit skeptical about his actual fantasy production with his new team. Hachimura is currently shooting a career-low 72.7 percent from the free throw line and is averaging less than both 0.5 blocks and 0.5 steals per game. There are better options out there.

• LeBron James recorded 20 points (8-20 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), nine rebounds and 11 assists across 35 minutes. The generational talent now sits just 158 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points in NBA history.
• Keldon Johnson is starting to find a solid scoring rhythm for the Spurs as of recently. Despite the defeat, the 23-year-old finished with 25 points (9-20 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT) and five rebounds in 33 minutes. Johnson has now topped 20 points in five straight contests, averaging 24.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals across 34.2 minutes per game while ranking as the 72nd overall nine-category option over that span.

The Youngsters

Top Rookies Battle

• While the 2022 rookie class has been very impressive out of the gate, Paolo Banchero and Bennedict Mathurin have quickly emerged as the best of the bunch this season. After Banchero missed the two team's first two matchups of the year, the two top rookies faced off Wednesday for the first time in their careers.
• The Magic got off to a quick start and were able to fend off a late Pacers' rally to win the game 126-120. Banchero shined with 23 points (6-14 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 9-10 FT), three rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block over 36 minutes. After a stretch of six straight games with under 20 points, Banchero now has topped that threshold in two consecutive contests as he starts to get back on track for the Magic.
  • Gary Harris finished with a season-best 22 points (8-9 FG, 6-6 3Pt), one rebound and one steal across 26 minutes during the win. In fact this outing marked just his second time topping 10 points in his last 10 appearances. While the 28-year-old is not fantasy relevant right now, he is a name to keep an eye on as the trade deadline quickly approaches. 
• Banchero's team may have gotten the win, but Mathurin arguably put up the stronger performance with 26 points (7-18 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 10-12 FT), three rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal over 33 minutes. After a stretch of starting four straight games for Indiana, Mathurin has moved back to the bench and the results have been outstanding. Across his past four games, Mathurin is averaging 23.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 34.3 minutes per game while ranking as the 96th overall nine-category option over that span. 
  • Chris Duarte was a cookie monster in this one, totaling 16 points (4-9 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 6-8 FT) two rebounds, five assists and a career-high six steals across 39 minutes in the defeat. Durate has started the Pacers' past two contests, averaging 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.5 steals over 32.5 minutes per game.

Sengun Shines, Wizards Rally

• Ladies and gentlemen, the Alperen Sengun show is officially here. Houston did end up losing to the Wizards 108-103, but the second-year center recorded his second triple-double of the season with 21 points (10-16 FG, 1-1 FT), 11 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and two blocks over 37 minutes of play. Sengun has now seen at least 35 minutes in each of his past five appearances, averaging 23.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.0 blocks while ranking as the No. 14 overall nine-category asset over that span.
  • Kenyon Martin recently entered Houston's starting lineup and continues to provide solid results, finishing with 16 points (8-13 FG, 0-2 FT), 13 rebounds, one assist and one block over 34 minutes. Martin has now started seven straight games, averaging 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists across 32.3 minutes over that span.
• Washington found itself down by double digits in the fourth quarter, only for Kyle Kuzma to take matters into his own hands. The emerging forward dropped 20 points in the fourth quarter to help push the Wizards to victory. He finished the game with 33 points (12-25 FG, 5-13 3PT, 4-5 FT), nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block over 41 minutes to mark his second straight outing with over 30 points. While I am not saying he is close to winning it, Kuzma's name needs to be heard more when discussing the Most Improved Player of the Year award.
  • With Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) out the past two games, Deni Avdija has seen an increase in production. The 22-year-old forward finished the win with 10 points (4-13 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block over 30 minutes to mark his second straight double-double. If your fantasy team is in need of rebounding, Avdija provides himself as a sneaky short-term solution. 
  • Kendrick Nunn made his Wizards debut, finishing with 22 points (5-9 FG, 2-5 3Pt), four rebounds, four assists and two steals across 22 minutes off the bench. It would not be surprising to see him see a slight increase in fantasy production with his new team. He is a name to monitor. 

Quick Hitters

• The Milwaukee Bucks were able to take down a very short-handed Nuggets team 107-99 behind a strong showing out of Giannis Antetokounmpo. The All-Star forward shined with 33 points (9-15 FG, 15-22 FT), 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals and nine turnovers over 31 minutes. After missing five straight games with a knee injury, Antetokounmpo has now appeared in two consecutive games for the Bucks, averaging 31.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists across 29.0 minutes.
  • Pat Connaughton impressed throughout the win with 19 points (7-8 FG, 5-6 3Pt), 12 rebounds, two assists and two steals over 38 minutes. With Bobby Portis expected to miss at least two weeks due to a knee injury, Connaughton emerges as a candidate to see his production increase for the time being.
  • Khris Middleton appeared in his second game back from his knee injury, ending with 10 points (3-8 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, three assists and one steal over 15 minutes. With Milwaukee easing Middleton back into the swing of things, he is by no means a must-start at this current point. Better days are ahead for both Middleton and his fantasy managers.
• Aaron Gordon impressed as the only regular starter playing for Denver, totaling 26 points (10-24 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 14 rebounds, four assists and two blocks over 37 minutes. While the high-flying forward is having his best season yet, his overall inconsistency as a scorer makes him a bit of a harder fantasy option to trust in DFS or points leagues. Over his last seven appearances, Gordon has had three games with over 25 points but four games with less than 15 points.
• Trae Young led the Hawks to a 137-132 win over the Thunder in what was a very exciting game. The star point guard filled up the stat sheet with difficult shots and incredible dimes en route to 33 points (10-20 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 10-11 FT), three rebounds and 11 assists over 35 minutes. Young has now recorded three straight double-doubles, averaging 26.3 points and 12.0 assists over that stretch. 
  • Clint Capela has officially reclaimed the starting center position from Onyeka Okongwu, recording 18 points (8-8 FG, 2-6 FT), 10 rebounds, one steal and one block over 28 minutes. The veteran center has now started four straight games for the Hawks, averaging 13.3 points and 10.0 rebounds across 27.0 minutes per game.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shined in the losing effort, finishing with a game-high 36 points (13-22 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 9-10 FT), five rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks over 36 minutes. SGA now has three straight games scoring at least 34 points.
  • Jalen Williams impressed on both ends of the floor with 24 points (11-16 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five rebounds, two assists and four steals over 38 minutes. This marked Williams' fourth 20-point outing of the season. 
• Pascal Siakam carried the Raptors to a 113-95 win with a loaded stat line of 26 points (11-24 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 11 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks over 35 minutes. Throughout his first 13 appearances of January, Siakam is averaging 22.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists across 38.8 minutes per game.
  • Precious Achiuwa dropped in a season-high 19 points (9-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt) and five rebounds across 28 minutes off the bench. Achiuwa is starting to see the floor more for the Raptors, averaging 14.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 blocks across 29.4 minuter over his last five appearances. Achiuwa is a name to monitor as the Raptors' roster is likely to undergo some changes as the trade deadline approaches
• Keegan Murray finished with yet another solid outing, recording 16 points (6-10 FG, 4-7 3Pt) and four rebounds over 33 minutes. The rookie forward has now reached double-figure scoring totals in nine out of his past 10 appearances, averaging 15.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals across 31.9 minutes across that span.
  • Domantas Sabonis struggled in the loss, failing to extend his double-double streak with nine points (4-9 FG, 1-1 3Pt), eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and nine turnovers in 35 minutes. Prior to Wednesday's loss, Sabonis had recorded a double-double in 23 consecutive appearances. 

Best and Worst of the Night 

• Best of the Night: Damian Lillard - 60 points (21-29 FG, 9-15 3Pt, 9-10 FT), seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals over 40 minutes.
• Worst of the Night: Aaron Nesmith - 0 points (0-5 FG, 0-3 3Pt) and one steal over 13 minutes.
• Rookie of the Night: Paolo Banchero - 23 points (6-14 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 9-10 FT), three rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block over 36 minutes.

A Look Ahead to Thursday Night

• Rivals Week continues as the Celtics and Knicks square off in an Atlantic Division battle in Boston.
• Luka Doncic and the Mavericks look to take down the Suns in Phoenix.
• Kawhi Leonard faces off against his former team when the Spurs come into Los Angeles.