Around the Association: Grizzlies Win BIG, Bulls Hang On, Toronto Takes Down Giannis-less Bucks

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Published on December 3, 2021

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 just a five-game slate last night, but it still included tight games and a new NBA record was set. Here is all you need to know:

Nightly Notables

The Grizzlies win by a lot

The most lopsided game of all time -- all time! -- took place Thursday night when the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Thunder by a score of 152-79. The Thunder were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (concussion), Josh Giddey (illness) and Derrick Favors (illness), but regardless, the 73-point blowout was the largest margin of victory in league history. Nine Grizzlies reached double-figures while Jaren Jackson arguably had his best game of the season with 27 points (9-11 FG, 6-7 3Pt, 3-3 FT), three rebounds, two steals, two blocks and one assist across just 20 minutes of play.
- Shoutout to Santi Aldama for recording his first career double-double with 8 points (8-16 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal across 28 minutes.

Bulls hang on in New York

The Chicago Bulls were up big on the New York Knicks in the first half, leading by over 20 points at a time. However, New York was able to crawl back into the game only to end up losing by a score of 119-115. The Bulls' stars were in their bags in the Big Apple as DeMar DeRozan led the way with a team-high 34 points (12-19 FG, 10-11 FT), six rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in 38 minutes.
- Zach LaVine was great in the victory with 27 of his own points (9-18 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 6-6 FT) to go with seven rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal. The All-Star guard has dropped 20 or more in four out of his last five showings.
- Nikola Vucevic continues to improve his play for Chicago. The center finished the game with 27 points (10-18 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and one block over 34 minutes. Vucevic has averaged 28.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game over his last two appearances.
Julius Randle had a solid outing in the losing effort for the Knicks. The forward finished with 30 points (14-21 FG, 2-5 FT), 12 rebounds, six assists and two blocks in 39 minutes. Randle has regressed quite a bit from last season, averaging nearly five fewer points per game, but is starting to pick up his play with 27.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists per showing over his last two appearances.

Raptors best Giannis-less Bucks

The Toronto Raptors were able to beat the Milwaukee Bucks by a score of 97-93 in a competitive game even with Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting out due to calf soreness. Fred VanVleet helped will Raptors to victory with 29 points (9-17 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 6-6 FT), five rebounds, four assists and one block over 39 minutes while scoring 13 in the fourth quarter. The guard ranks as the 13th overall nine-category fantasy player on a per-game basis this season.
- Pascal Siakam ended up fouling out but was still able to put up an impressive performance as he finished with 20 points (9-19 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 1-1 FT), six rebounds, five assists, three blocks and a steal across 30 minutes.
With no Greek Freak in the lineup, Jrue Holiday had a stellar showing in the defeat, finishing with 26 points (10-19 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 2-5 FT), six rebounds, eight assists and one block over 37 minutes. This was just Holiday's third contest with 20 or more points this season.
- Khris Middleton also played well for Milwaukee, dropping 22 points (8-20 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 4-5 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and one block across 35 minutes of action.

Best and Worst of the Night

Best of the Night: DeMar DeRozan -- 34 points (12-19 FG, 10-11 FT), six rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in 38 minutes.
Worst of the Night: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl -- two points (0-7 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and five rebounds
Rookie of the Night: Cade Cunningham -- 19 points (8-15 FG, 3-5 3Pt), two rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal in 31 minutes.

Quick Hitters

The Suns keep on winning as they earned their 18th straight victory with a 114-103 win over the Pistons. It was a beautiful team effort with seven players reaching double figures, yet no player topping 20 points.
- Mikal Bridges continued his impressive two-way campaign with 18 points (8-14 FG, 2-4 3Pt), five rebounds, four steals and one assist across 40 minutes of play.
Jerami Grant looked great for the Pistons, dropping 34 points (10-19 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 12-14 FT), six rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals over 38 minutes. The forward has dropped 30 or more points in two out of his last three appearances.
- Cade Cunningham also looked good in the loss, as he finished with 19 points (8-15 FG, 3-5 3Pt), two rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal in 31 minutes. The No. 1 overall pick is starting to figure out his efficiency shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from deep over his last three outings.
Dejounte Murray finished with a near triple-double during the Spurs' 114-83 blowout win over the Damian Lillard-less Trail Blazers. He finished with 15 points (6-16 FG, 3-7 3Pt), seven rebounds, 13 assists and two steals over 34 minutes.
- Bryn Forbes was on his game for San Antonio in the win, dropping 18 points (7-9 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 1-1 FT) and two steals over 15 minutes. The Michigan State product has reached double-figures in three out of his last four appearances.

A Look Ahead to Friday Night

The Suns and Warriors match up for the second time this week -- this time at Golden State
Clippers and Lakers square off at the Staples Center.
Can the Boston Celtics, who won't have Jaylen Brown, leave Salt Lake City with a W?
D'Angelo Russell gets a revenge game against the Nets when the Timberwolves come to town.