Big Night In The D-League

There are five games on tap tonight, all of which should be pretty good matchups, save for Austin @ Tulsa, but WelcomeToLoudCity is there with the live blog, so that should be exciting.  I'll use this as a open thread/live blog/me talking to myself while watching 1,000 games of basketball.  Join in, please!

Here's what to look for:

Dakota @ Erie: Both teams are one game back in a very tight Central division.

Matchup to watch: Blake Ahearn Vs. Quincy Douby - Both undersized 2-guards who ocassionally end up playing the point.  Both can put up big numbers on the offensive end.  Both will probably end up with 25+ points if their team lets them.

Austin @ Tulsa: Austin is one of the top teams in the D-League with a 25-13 record, though they're just 5-5 in their last ten games.  Tulsa is a little colder, as they've won just one of their last ten games, though it was an overtime victory over Iowa yesterday.  Will be liveblogged over at WTLC.

Matchup to watch: Marcus Williams Vs. Gary Forbes - Not sure who Tulsa will put on Williams, as Shaun Livingston could also probably guard him, but we'll match him up with Forbes.  The 6'7" Forbes is a very similar player to Williams, as they can both play the point-forward, both are excellent at creating, and both are relied on heavily for their team.

Los Angeles @ Idaho: This is a matchup between the worst in the West and the best in the West.  LA is 11 games back, out of the playoffs, but are a team to reckon with since the addition of Earl Barron and Sun Yue.

Matchup to watch: Sun Yue Vs. Luke Jackson: This could be a fun matchup to watch.  Yue, who is being heavily pimped on D-League.com (Chinese people love them some Sun Yue!), settled into the D-League better last game, scoring 12 points on seven shots in 35 minutes of action.  Jackson has been heating up lately, averaging over 25 points, seven boards and six assists in his last three games.  If they heat up, watch out!

Bakersfield @ Utah: Both teams could really make some noise in the playoffs.  Bakersfield is 1.5 games behind Utah, but both have already eclipsed the 20 win mark.

Matchup to watch: Trey Johnson Vs. Morris Almond: Wow.  This should be happening in the NBA, but I'll gladly take it in the D-League.  Both are amazing shooters/scorers, both will probably put their team on their back and shoot the lights out.  Could be fun!

Sioux Falls @ Reno: A struggling Sioux Falls team versus a Reno team that's retooled well.  Not sure if either will make the playoffs, but lots of fun stuff happening in this game.

Matchup to watch: Alexis Ajinca Vs. Patrick Ewing Jr. - If they matchup, this will be a good test for both players.  PEJr, since moving into the starting lineup with the Rod Benson trade four games ago, has averaged 21.8 points and 12.5 boards.  Ajinca, who has just been assigned to the D-League after not getting much love by the Bobcats in the NBA really looked like he had a lot of potential during Summer League.  Depends on how often they match up, but this could be a good barometer of their future NBA careers.