Around the Associations: 10 Reasons To Be Thankful After A Wild Night of NBA Action

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.

Wednesday night brought us an awesome 13 game slate, and with Thanksgiving today, it was only right to make this version of Around the Association holiday-themed. Below are 10 reasons to be thankful for Wednesday night's wild NBA action:

1. Thankful For Family

• If we are talking from a basketball perspective, then specifically I am thankful for the Curry Family. Stephen Curry and Seth Curry matched up Wednesday night as the 76ers traveled to Golden State. Stephen Curry did his thing once again as he was able to push the Warriors to a 116-96 victory. The three-time champion finished with 25 points (9-16 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 1-2 FT), four rebounds, 10 assists and one steal in 35 minutes.

• Jordan Poole continued to impress for the Warriors during the win. The Michigan product finished with 17 points (5-13 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 5-6 FT), six assists and five rebounds during 33 minutes of play.
• Juan Toscano-Anderson filled up the box score off of the bench, ending with 13 points (6-6 FG, 1-1 FT), six rebounds, six assists, two blocks and one steal in a reserve-high 25 minutes of action.
• Seth Curry finished just one point away from his brother's scoring mark, ending the contest with a team-high 24 points (8-16 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 8-8 FT), one rebound and two steals in 33 minutes. The younger Curry is really coming to his own this season in Philly, averaging a career-high 15.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.2 three-pointers per contest
  • Tyrese Maxey did not have the best day shooting from the field, but was still able to finish with 19 points (5-15 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 9-10 FT), three rebounds, five assists and one block over 33 minutes.

2. Thankful For Winning Streaks

• The Phoenix Suns will not stop winning. The team defeated the Cavaliers by a score of 120-115 to mark their 14th straight win. This was one of their most intense games during the win streak as it was a pretty tight contest throughout. In the end, Devin Booker was simply too much, dropping 35 points (14-21 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 5-6 FT), four rebounds, three assists and one steal in 38 minutes of action.
  • It is pretty clear that the rest of the Suns are incredibly thankful for Chris Paul's passing. The veteran point guard finished with 17 points (4-8 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 7-8 FT), 12 assists and two rebounds and his 10.4 dimes per game still leads the league
• Despite the losing effort, Jarrett Allen was incredible down low for the Cavs. The center recorded 25 points (9-10 FG, 7-9 FT), 11 rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes. After missing three games due to illness, Allen is picking right back up where he left off, averaging 22.5 points and 13.0 rebounds per game over his last two showings.
  • Cedi Osman was a huge presence for Cleveland off of the bench and helped keep them in the game, finishing with 23 points (9-15 FG, 5-7 3Pt), four rebounds, two assists and one steal in 28 minutes.

3. Thankful For Year 19

• LeBron James missed the Lakers' last contest for his role in the scuffle with the Isaiah Stewart and the Pistons, but The King returned in a major fashion. The Lakers played the Pacers and Indiana did hold a lead for the majority of the game. However, James was able to push Los Angeles to a 124-116 overtime victory behind a plethora of clutch threes. The four-time champion ended the contest with 39 points (13-29 FG, 5-12 3Pt, 8-9 FT), six assists, five rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 39 minutes.
  • Malik Monk looked good for LA off of the bench, recording 17 points (6-11 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, one assist and one steal across 33 minutes.
• Malcolm Brogdon was one of the key reasons that Indiana was able to keep the contest so competitive. He put a team-high 28 points (9-21 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 5-6 FT), seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 46 minutes. Brogdon ranks as the 24th-best nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis
  • Chris Duarte recorded 17 points (7-18 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 0-2 FT), three rebounds and one assist in 30 minutes while hitting this absolutely ridiculous clutch three-pointer to send the game to overtime.

4. Thankful For Scoring Greatness

• Kevin Durant ended Brooklyn's 123-104 win over the Boston Celtics with 21 points (8-16 FG, 0-4 FT, 5-6 FT), eight assists, four rebounds and two steals in 37 minutes. While these are certainly not eye-popping numbers for the two-time champion, it was a special night for Durant as he passed Allen Iverson on the all-time scoring list. KD now has the 25th-most points of all time.
  • Patty Mills was on fire during the victory, ended the contest with 23 points (8-12 FG, 7-10 3Pt), two assists and one rebound in 33 minutes. The Australian guard is absolutely on fire from three as of late, hitting 22 of his 39 attempts (56.4 percent) over his last four contests.
  • James Harden neared a triple-double in the win, recording 20 points (4-13 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 8-9 FT), 11 assists, seven rebounds and two steals in 35 minutes.
• Marcus Smart was really the only Celtics' player to get much going on offense. The guard recorded a team-high 20 points (6-14 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 5-5 FT), three rebounds, eight assists, one block and two steals across 36 minutes. This was just Smart's second time reaching 20 points all season long.

5. Thankful For New Beginnings

• The Sacramento Kings recently fired coach Luke Walton and replaced him with Alvin Gentry. The Kings were able to get their first win in the Gentry-era Wednesday night after defeating the Trail Blazers by a score of 125-121. De'Aaron Fox was ejected late in the fourth quarter, but was still able to end the showing with a team-high 21 points (8-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six assists, two rebounds and one steal in 27 minutes.
  • The feel-good moment of the night came late during this contest when Marvin Bagley drilled a late three to seal the win for the Kings. The Duke product had found himself in Luke Walton's doghouse, but could potentially be in for a change of role with Gentry manning the show now. Bagley ended the game with 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 0-1 FT) and eight rebounds in 18 minutes of play.

• Damian Lillard had one of his better outings of the season despite some more rough outside shooting. The All-Star guard dropped in 32 points (7-18 FG, 3-12 3Pt, 15-16 FT), 10 assists and six rebounds in 40 minutes of play. Lillard is starting to heat up as the season moves along, averaging 28.4 points and 8.0 assists per game over his last five appearances.
  • Jusuf Nurkic fouled out during the defeat but was still able to produce an incredibly impactful game, ending the contest with 28 points (12-17 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 4-5 FT), 17 rebounds, five assists and one steal over 32 minutes.

6. Thankful For Upsets

• The Houston Rockets came into Wednesday night's contest against the Chicago Bulls losers of 15 straight games. However, Houston was finally able to get into the win column for just the second time all season, winning by a margin of 118-113. Christian Wood led the way for the Rockets, ending with 16 points (6-14 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks during 31 minutes of action. This marked Wood's third double-double in his last four showings.
  • Danuel House was huge down the stretch for the Rockets during the team's much-needed victory. After not even playing in the first half, the wing ended with 18 points (6-7 FG, 4-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT)  four rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal during just 16 minutes of play.
  • Kevin Porter returned to the Rockets' lineup after missing three straight contests with a thigh injury and recorded 14 points (5-13 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-4 FT), nine assists, six rebounds and one steal in 36 minutes during the win.
• Zach LaVine was great despite the losing effort. The high-flying guard dropped in a team-high 28 points (11-22 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 3-5 FT), four assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block in 36 minutes of play.
  • Nikola Vucevic made his return to the Bulls' lineup after missing seven straight contests due to COVID protocols. The big finished with 14 points (6-16 FG, 2-5 3Pt), 13 rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in 26 minutes.

7. Thankful For Even More Upsets

• If one Western Conference over Eastern Conference upset was not enough for you, the Pelicans have you covered. New Orleans was able to crush the Washington Wizards by a score of 127-102. Brandon Ingram led the way for the Pelicans, finishing with 26 points (9-15 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 7-8 FT), five rebounds, three assists and one steal over 32 minutes.
  • Jonas Valanciunas continued his absolutely awesome season during the victory, ending 21 points (7-18 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 6-6 FT), 11 rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes.
• Bradley Beal was the only Wizards' player to score over 13 points in the contest as Washington struggled throughout. Beal ended the contest with 23 points (11-20 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 1-3 FT), five rebounds and one assist across 28 minutes.
  • Spencer Dinwiddie was decent for Washington in the losing effort and neared a triple-double with 11 points (2-8 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 6-8 FT), eight rebounds and nine assists over 25 minutes.

8. Thankful For Comebacks

• The Memphis Grizzlies led the Toronto Raptors by a score of 92-91 after three quarters of play. However, Toronto was able to outscore the Grizzlies by 14 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 126-113 road victory. Gary Trent was huge down the stretch for the Raptors, finishing the game with 26 points (8-17 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 6-6 FT), four assists, one rebound and one steal in 39 minutes of play. He scored 17 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter.
  • Fred VanVleet finished the victory with 23 points (9-14 FG,3-7 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks during 36 minutes of action.
• Ja Morant led the Grizzlies despite the losing effort. The third-year pro ended the contest with a team-high 23 points (8-18 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 7-10 FT), nine assists, six rebounds and three steals across 34 minutes.
  • Dillon Brooks recorded 20 points (6-16 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 6-8 FT), three assists, two rebounds and one block in 25 minutes for Memphis. The wing has averaged 19.4 points per game during his first five appearances of the season.

9. (Not So) Thankful For Called-Off Dunks

• Anthony Edwards had what seemed to be like the highlight of the season once again as he completely posterized Gabe Vincent, only for the jam to be called an offensive foul. Regardless, the rising star was phenomenal for the Timberwolves during their impressive 113-101 win over the Miami Heat. Edwards ended the contest with a team-high 33 points (13-27 FG, 6-15 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 14 rebounds, six assists, three steals and one block in 43 minutes of action.
  • Malik Beasley was huge for the Timberwolves off of the bench, finishing with a season-high 29 points (9-19 FG, 5-13 3Pt, 6-7 FT), three rebounds, one block and one steal in 37 minutes. This was surprisingly Beasley's first time crossing the 20 point mark this season.
• It was a struggle for the Heat offense during this one as not one player scored over 18 points. Jimmy Butler finished with 16 points (5-9 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 6-7 FT), eight rebounds, five assists and one steal in 38 minutes against his former team.

10. Thankful for the Reigning Champs

• The Milwaukee Bucks made Wednesday night's win look easy as they handled the Detroit Pistons by a score of 114-93. Giannis Antetokounmpo was his usual dominant self, finishing the game with a team-high 33 points (12-17 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 8-10 FT), seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks in 31 minutes of action.
  • Bobby Portis was also incredible for the Bucks during their victory. The veteran forward recorded 28 points (10-14 FG, 6-7 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds and one assist in 31 minutes. This marked Portis' fourth straight double-double as he ranks as the ninth-best nine-category fantasy option on a per-game basis over the past week.
• It was a pretty ugly offensive game for the Pistons as not one starter recorded over 13 points. Trey Lyles scored a team-high 19 points (7-15 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 3-3 FT) to go with seven rebounds in 22 minutes off of the bench.
  • Cade Cunningham did come close to finishing with a triple-double despite the losing effort. The No. 1 overall pick ended the contest with nine points (3-10 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), eight rebounds and seven assists over 29 minutes of action.