SAC @ OKC: One team is going for its tenth consecutive win, on its home court, with two young superstars and an excellent supporting cast. The other is a mismatched collection of oddballs with an ironically-named coach and an immature jerk as its centerpiece. Who do you like? DeMarcus Cousins will be back from his latest suspension (for an elbow to the groin of an opponent) and Tyreke Evans will probably return to the starting five, but Marcus Thornton (personal leave) may miss another game and this will be no contest. If you use Kevin Durant and/or Russell Westbrook in daily leagues, you’re hoping Sacramento keeps it close enough that garbage time doesn’t begin at halftime.
MIN @ NOH: An obviously distracted Kevin Love heard some booing from the home fans on Wednesday after a press conference earlier in the day to “clarify” his criticism of Minnesota’s ownership and management. I’ll predict that he never shoots 3-for-17 again. The Wolves won anyway, as Nikola Pekovic and Andrei Kirilenko picked up the slack. All three will be prominent tonight, so Robin Lopez will need a big game and Ryan Anderson will have to knock down his shots. Since returning from an 11-game absence, rookie Anthony Davis has been coming off the bench, but he’ll get plenty of minutes. Guard play could decide this one; Greivis Vasquez needs to shake off a four-game scoring slump.
UTA @ PHO: After I mocked the Suns here the other day and guaranteed a young friend the Grizzlies would beat them by 30, they won. Jared Dudley has played well since taking over from “toxic” Michael Beasley at SF, but there’s still uncertainty at PF, where Markieff Morris and Luis Scola have taken turns starting, which has a negative effect on both their values in fantasy. Marcin Gortat is unhappy with his situation and his effort has been intermittent. Sounds like Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap will have pretty good nights, and sixth man Gordon Hayward is another decent play.
MEM @ DEN: With no idea what happened to the Grizzlies in Phoenix, I’m blaming overconfidence. Mike Conley needs to have a much better game tonight, or Ty Lawson will run wild. It’s the frontcourt that makes Memphis so good. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph play off each other so well, it could be a long night for Kosta Koufos and Kenneth Faried. The Nuggets may not even recognize their home court, having played 17 of their 23 games on the road, including their last five. They are 5-1 in those rare appearances at the Pepsi Center, so this should be a dandy. Danilo Gallinari and Rudy Gay can score on each other, the Denver bench is very productive and a fast pace is likely. Enjoy.
The Spin is here by 9:00 EST, every day. Follow us on Twitter — @SheridanFantasy — for updates and roster advice. My DraftStreet Diary now appears later each day, so come back for more details about the Freeroll tonight and to see who is in my lineup.