Fantasy NBA DraftKings DFS Values (Jan. 29)

Salaries are fairly low at the top tonight as only six players, four of which are bigs (PF/C), are priced at $8,000 or more, which includes brothers Pau Gasol ($9,300) and Marc Gasol ($8,000).

Both Gasol brothers have great matchups -- Pau vs. LAL and Marc vs. DEN -- and stacking them will be a popular strategy tonight. Marc's teammate Zach Randolph ($8,200) is a strong play as well as the Nuggets allow the second-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards and Z-Bo has 10 consecutive double-doubles.

If you load up on high(er)-priced bigs, the good news is there is plenty of value at guard tonight to allow you do so.

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With that said, here are some DraftKings values ($6,500 salary or less) for Thursday's NBA games:

PG - Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic (vs. MIL), $5,600: With impressive consistency for a rookie point guard, Payton scored an eight-game low of 26.5 fantasy points against the Grizzlies on Monday. Over that stretch, Payton has averaged 13.13 points, 8.0 assists and 2.13 steals per game. Although the Bucks have held opposing point guards to the fewest fantasy points this season, Payton does a number of different things to generate fantasy points.

PG - Langston Galloway, New York Knicks (at IND), $4,300: Playing 30 or more minutes in all five of his starts, Galloway has scored at least 32 fantasy points in four of those five games. Based on average production of 30.95 fantasy points per game as a starter, he's priced at 7.2 times his bargain-basement salary. During that five-game span, he has averaged 15.2 points, 2.0 three's, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. If Carmelo Anthony rests on the second night of their back-to-back, Galloway may need to shoulder more of the scoring load.

PG - Jordan Clarkson, Los Angeles Lakers (vs. CHI), $3,800: Starting his third consecutive game at the point on Tuesday, Clarkson played more than 36 minutes, scored 18 (real) points and 28.25 fantasy points, all of which were highs this season. He has exceeded 20 fantasy points in two of his three starts and he just needs to score 19.0 fantasy points to reach 5x value.

PG - Beno Udrih, Memphis Grizzlies (vs. DEN), $3,200: If Mike Conley (wrist) misses another game, then Udrih is a strong value play even though Nick Calathes was more productive in their last game. That said, Udrih has played at least 20 minutes in five of his past seven games and has at least 22 fantasy points in four of those five games with 20-plus minutes.

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SG - Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets (at MEM), $6,100: Afflalo has scored at least 22.5 fantasy points in 13 of his past 14 games and has averaged 28.7 during that 14-game span. The Grizzlies have one of the league's best defenses and play at the fifth-slowest pace, but Afflalo has a high floor and scored 29.75 fantasy points in his first matchup against the Grizz.

SG - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (at ORL), $5,400: The allotment of minutes by Jason Kidd is as difficult to predict as the allocation of workloads to running backs by Bill Belichick, but the Greek Freak has seen 33-plus minutes in five of his past six games. During that span, he has averaged 25.67 fantasy points per game -- or slightly less than 5x his salary (4.75). With his all-around statistical contributions, The Alphabet has upside for 35-40 points (and would be 1 and 2 in the player nickname rankings tonight).

SG - O.J. Mayo, Milwaukee Bucks (at ORL), $4,400: With limited upside as a bench player getting less than 30 minutes per night, Mayo has still been consistent with at least 21.5 fantasy points in nine consecutive games and an average of 25.97 during that stretch. Mayo needs just 22.0 fantasy points to reach 5x value.

SF - Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks (at ORL), $5,200: On nights with a large slate of games, I typically avoid the Bucks with the possible exception of Brandon Knight. On a night with four games, I'm more willing to roll with some Bucks in my lineups. That said, Middleton has scored at least 25 fantasy points in three consecutive games and in six of his past nine. Based on the options throughout the price scale tonight, small forward is my least favorite position, which means that Middleton will likely be my most-owned Buck tonight.

PF - David West, Indiana Pacers (vs. NYK), $6,300: Perhaps one of the least exciting options in daily fantasy basketball, West is consistently productive, which is exciting in its own way. In his past 25 games, West has scored less than 20 fantasy points only once and that one game was 19.5 points. During that same 25-game span, he's averaging 30.18 FPPG and has averaged a line of 13.12/7.28/3.56 with 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks per game as well.

PF - Jason Smith, New York Knicks (at IND), $3,900: Smith had his first double-double of the season last night with 11 points and 11 rebounds while adding six assists and a steal. Smith has played 32-plus minutes in five consecutive games and he has scored at least 25.5 fantasy points in four of those games.

C - Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls (at LAL), $6,300: Although we shouldn't expect another 50 fantasy points, Noah had an 18/15 double-double with six assists and two steals in Tuesday's overtime win at Golden State. Noah has recently mentioned that he feels as healthy as he has felt all season and he should easily reach value in an exploitable matchup against the Lakers.

C - Zaza Pachulia, Milwaukee Bucks (at ORL), $4,600: If Ersan Ilyasova (groin) misses tonight's game, Pachulia may get a bump in minutes. (Pachulia has played roughly two minutes less over his past six games with Ilyasova in the lineup than he had in the previous 10 games without him.) Either way, he has a favorable matchup against the Magic, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers. Over his past 16 games, Pachulia is averaging 27.86 fantasy points, which is 6.06 times tonight's salary.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 15th

If you play daily fantasy sports (and who doesn't these days?!), you know that one of the keys to success is uncovering undervalued players to allow you to load up on studs elsewhere.

In case you've never played daily fantasy basketball, every player has a salary and your roster cannot exceed the game's salary-cap maximum.

For FanDuel leagues, rosters consist of nine players and the salary cap is $60,000, which averages to roughly $6,667 per player. To give you an idea of the range for Saturday's games, Knicks PF Carmelo Anthony ($10,300) has the contest's highest salary while many are tied for the lowest at the game-minimum salary ($3,500).

There are a number of benefits compared to traditional full-season re-draft leagues, such as:

• you don't have to worry about being saddled by players sidelined by injury;
• having a late pick doesn't rule out owning studs like Kevin Durant or LeBron James;
• you get the instant gratification of winning your league(s) that night.

And you know that enthusiasm you have after drafting your fantasy team(s)? Well, you get to experience that feeling on a nightly basis with daily fantasy basketball.

OK, with the preliminary stuff out of the way, here are some value plays to consider for Saturday (March 15th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies (at PHI), $6,600: With the Sixers allowing the most points this season to opposing point guards, Conley is a must-start tonight. Even Nick Calathes ($4,300), who has scored 20-plus fantasy points in three consecutive games, is worth consideration. Even though Calathes has played only 15-19 minutes per game in his past five, it's possible this turns into a blowout giving him even more minutes. Over his past five games, Conley has averaged 15.0 points, 4.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.

PG - D.J. Augustin, Chicago Bulls (vs. SAC), $5,800: Augustin has 23.6-plus fantasy points in six of his past seven games and in each of his past three. During that seven-game stretch, Augustin has averaged 19.71 points and 3.86 assists per game.

PG - George Hill, Indiana Pacers (at DET), $4,800: Hill scored 35.7 fantasy points against the Sixers last night with 14 points, nine assists, six boards and two steals. He now has 24.6 or more fantasy points in three consecutive games and he gets another favorable matchup on Saturday. The Pistons have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Shaun Livingston, Brooklyn Nets (at WAS), $4,300: Despite a tough matchup, Livingston posted 31.4 fantasy points in 38 minutes against the Heat on Wednesday. He now has three consecutive games with at least 21 fantasy points. Doing a bit of everything, Livingston has averaged 10.25 points, 3.25 rebounds, 3.13 assists and 2.25 steals per game over his past eight.

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SG - Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls (vs. SAC), $6,600: With only Lance Stephenson more expensive on Saturday, perhaps Butler can't be classified as "cheap," but he's certainly worth starting today. Butler is averging 16.67 points, 6.33 rebounds, 2.33 assists and 2.0 steals per game over his past three and he gets a top-three matchup against the Kings on Saturday.

SG - Kyle Korver, Atlanta Hawks (vs. DEN), $5,000: Korver has scored 30-plus fantasy points in two of his past three games and he gets favorable matchup on Saturday. The Nuggets have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SG - Tim Hardaway, Jr., New York Knicks (vs. MIL), $3,900: While he doesn't do much other than score and he does that inconsistently, Hardaway has scored 28 and 22 points in his past two games, respectively. With an average of 27.5 fantasy points over his past two games, he's a bargain at $3,900 if he can deliver roughly that many points again on Saturday.

SF - J.R. Smith, New York Knicks (vs. MIL), $5,800: Smith has scored more than 20 fantasy points in six consecutive games and he has averaged 27.55 per contest during that stretch. Over those seven games, he has averaged 16.5 points, 3.17 assists and 3.17 rebounds per game. The Bucks have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

SF - DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta Hawks (vs. DEN), $5,800: Carroll has scored 20-plus fantasy points in four consecutive games and in eight of his past nine. Over that nine-game span, he has averaged 14.89 points, 5.33 boards and 1.11 steals per game. The Nuggets have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

SF - Mike Dunleavy, Chicago Bulls (vs. SAC), $5,000: Ending a four-game rough patch, Dunleavy scored 21 points and added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 37 minutes on Thursday. The Kings have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards.

PF - Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets (at ATL), $7,000: Not necessarily cheap as the fifth-most expensive power forward, Faried really produced this month, though. In eight games in March, he has scored 29.6 fantasy points in all but one game and averaged 37.53 fantasy points per game. Not only is he averaging 21.5 points, 10.13 boards and 1.13 steals per game, but he has a top-10 matchup against the Hawks as well.

PF - Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies (at PHI), $6,900: On March 1st, Randolph had 23 points and 14 rebounds against the Cavs, but he has not had any 20/10 games since then. (He does have three other double-doubles this month, though.) In the City of Brotherly Love, however, there is an excellent chance that his 20/10 drought ends.

C - Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies (at PHI), $7,300: Over his past 10 games, Gasol has a minimum of 28.1 fantasy points, which he scored last night against the Raptors. During that 10-game stretch, however, Gasol is averaging 34.64 fantasy points, which exceeds his season average (30.2 FPPG). Of course, you know the drill by now: start your centers against the Sixers. Only the Lakers, who are off tonight, allow more fantasy points to opposing centers.

C - Pero Antic, Atlanta Hawks (vs. DEN), $4,200: After back-to-back games with at least 22 fantasy points, Antic had a quiet outing (eight points, seven rebounds) despite a favorable matchup against the Bucks on Thursday. Fortunately for Antic, he gets an excellent opportunity to bounce back as the Nuggets have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers.

C - Cole Aldrich, New York Knicks (vs. MIL), $3,900: If Tyson Chandler (personal reasons) does not return from his two-game absence, Aldrich could possibly replicate his outstanding performance (12 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks) from Wednesday. This season, the Bucks have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing centers. The good news is this is the only game before 7 p.m. so you will know beforehand whether or not Chandler will return.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Values for March 12th

If you play daily fantasy sports (and who doesn't these days?!), you know that one of the keys to success is uncovering undervalued players to allow you to load up on studs elsewhere.

In case you've never played daily fantasy basketball, every player has a salary and your roster cannot exceed the game's salary-cap maximum.

For FanDuel leagues, rosters consist of nine players and the salary cap is $60,000, which averages to roughly $6,667 per player. To give you an idea of the range for Wednesday's games, Heat SF LeBron James ($11,100) has the contest's highest salary while many are tied for the lowest at the game-minimum salary ($3,500).

There are a number of benefits compared to traditional full-season re-draft leagues, such as:

• you don't have to worry about being saddled by players sidelined by injury;
• having a late pick doesn't rule out owning studs like Kevin Durant or LeBron James;
• you get the instant gratification of winning your league(s) that night.

And you know that enthusiasm you have after drafting your fantasy team(s)? Well, you get to experience that feeling on a nightly basis with daily fantasy basketball.

OK, with the preliminary stuff out of the way, here are some value plays to consider for Wednesday (March 12th) FanDuel leagues:

PG - Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. SAC), $7,100: Only the 13th-highest priced point guard, MCW had a triple-double on Monday against the Knicks. While he may not score 53.6 fantasy points again on Wednesday, he has a favorable matchup against the Kings, who have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies (at NO), $6,600: Conley has scored 30-plus fantasy points in five of his past six games although the exception was a 4.1-point outing against the Nets on March 5th. That said, Conley has a favorable matchup tonight against the Pelicans, who have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to point guards.

PG - Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs (vs. POR), $6,600: Like Carter-Williams and Conley, Parker is another option in the mid-tier price range of talented point guards with favorable matchups. In fact, Parker's matchup is more favorable as the Blazers have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season. While Parker has 35-plus fantasy points in back-to-back outings, I do worry about his playing time since he is playing on back-to-back nights and the last thing Pop cares about is your/my fantasy team(s).

PG - Darren Collison, Los Angeles Clippers (vs. GS), $5,900: With Jamal Crawford playing 10 minutes in his return and then sitting out on Monday, the hope for Collison from a fantasy perspectivie is that Crawford misses another game. In his past six games, Collison is averaging 18.0 points, 4.0 assists, 2.33 rebounds and 1.83 steals (and 28.97 fantasy points) per game.

PG - Tony Wroten, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. SAC), $5,600: Wroten has averaged 26.5 (real) points and 33.1 (fantasy) points per game in his past two games. As noted earlier, the Sixers have a favorable matchup tonight and it wouldn't surprise me if Wroten has a similar outing to his average(s) over his past couple of games.

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SG - Alec Burks, Utah Jazz (vs. DAL), $5,300: The matchup is middle of the pack, but Burks has been extremely consistent with at least 23.4 fantasy points in four consecutive games. During that four-game span, Burks has averaged 17.0 points, 3.0 assists, 2.75 rebounds and 1.25 steals per game.

SG - Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs (vs. POR), $4,800: It's unclear if Danny Green (wrist) will play tonight after getting only 10 minutes last night. Considering Manu got only 21 minutes last night, I'm not sure how much it matters when it comes to Ginobili, who still managed to score 22 points last night. In his past two games, he is averaging 23.0 points (and 30.5 fantasy points) per game.

SG - James Anderson, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. SAC), $4,500: In his past three games, Anderson has averaged 17.67 points, 3.33 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a steal per game. During that stretch, his fantasy production has been consistent: 24.9 to 25.9 in each game. With a favorable matchup tonight against the Kings, who allow the third-most fantasy points to SGs, perhaps Anderson breaks above that range tonight.

SG - Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings (at PHI), $3,600: Despite scoring less than 20 fantasy points in seven consecutive games and only reaching double digits three times during that span, it is never a bad idea to start players facing the Sixers. And with a salary only $100 above the game minimum, the potential reward exceeds the risk.

SF - Matt Barnes, Los Angeles Clippers (vs. GS), $5,700: Unlike guards and power forwards, there are fewer modestly- or low-priced small forwards that I like for tonight. While he hasn't been as productive in his past two games (23.5 FPPG) as he was in the previous three games (38.77 FPPG), Barnes is a lock for at least 20 fantasy points with upside for more. In his past five games, he has averaged 17.8 points, 6.8 boards, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.

SF - Maurice Harkless, Orlando Magic (vs. DEN), $4,800: Harkless has played 30-plus minutes and has scored 22-plus fantasy points in seven consecutive games, but there is a chance that streak ends with guys Victor Oladipo and Arron Afflalo back from injury. With a modest cost, he's still worth consideration. Over his past seven games, he has averaged 14.29 points, 4.86 rebounds, 1.86 steals and a block per game. The Nuggets have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

SF - Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (at LAC), $4,400: Green played a five-game low of 18 minutes last night, but he has scored 21.7-plus fantasy points in four of his past five games.

PF - Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies (at NO), $7,000: With 10 power forwards priced higher, ZBo is an excellent option as a mid-priced player. Averaging a double-double (17.1 points and 10.3 boards) on the season, Randolph has a favorable matchup against the Pelicans, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing four's this season.

PF - Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets (at ORL), $6,900: The Manimal had a relatively quiet night in his last outing — 15 points and nine boards for 24.8 fantasy points. In his previous five games, however, he averaged 36.90 fantasy points with 20.21 points, 9.64 rebounds and 1.31 blocks per game. The Magic have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this season.

PF - Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz (vs. DAL), $6,100: Only seven teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing power forwards than the Mavs have. After a three-game slump averaging 13.63 fantasy points per game, Favors has bounced back with solid outings in back-to-back games. With 33.8 fantasy points per game in those two performances, Favors has averaged 14.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.

PF - Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks (at BOS), $5,200: Over his past five games, Stoudemire is averaging 18.0 points, 6.6 boards and 1.4 blocks per game. In four of those five games, he has scored at least 29.2 fantasy points. With Tyson Chandler (personal reasons) missing a second consecutive game, Stoudemire is a worthwhile option in Fanduel leagues.

*** Note: Stoudemire won't play tonight and obviously shouldn't be in any of your lineups. ***

PF - Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors (vs. DET), $5,200: Johnson is coming off a huge fantasy performance with 16 points, five rebounds, four blocks, two steals and two assists for 36.0 points. Johnson has scored more than 20 fantasy points in each of his past 10 games. With Patrick Patterson out for roughly a week, Johnson is in line for another quality outing.

PF - Marcus Morris, Phoenix Suns (vs. CLE), $4,100: After playing more than 25 minutes only one in his previous seven games, Morris has played at least 29 minutes in three consecutive games. With P.J. Tucker (suspension) out, it's likely that Morris extends the streak to four games. That said, he has scored less than 20 fantasy points in back-to-back games.

PF - Reggie Evans, Sacramento Kings (at PHI), $3,800: An effort guy, Evans gets to face his former team, or I should say one of his former teams, tonight. Evans has at least eight rebounds in seven of his past eight games and he has five steals in the past two games.

C - Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards (vs. CHA), $6,900: The Polish Hammer is an underrated option at center and if you disagree, he'll knock you out. All (bad) jokes aside, Gortat had a big game on Monday against the Heat with 14 points and 18 rebounds plus four assists. Gortat gets another favorable matchup against the Bobcats tonight.

C - Andrew Bogut, Golden State Warriors (at LAC), $5,900: Bogut played 30 minutes, a five-game high, last night and finished with a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) while scoring 29.5 fantasy points. Other than a 14-minute outing against the Suns on Sunday, Bogut has scored at least 28.6 fantasy points in three of his past four games. The Clippers have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

C - Kyle O'Quinn, Orlando Magic (vs. DEN), $4,700: Even though he has started two games in a row, O'Quinn has played between 16 and 22 minutes in his past five games. That said, he has still performed well with more than 20 fantasy points in all five games despite the modest minutes. Denver has allowed the third-most and fourth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards and centers, respectively.

C - Miles Plumlee, Phoenix Suns (vs. CLE), $3,900: In his second game back following a two-game absence, Plumlee played 26 minutes and scored just as many fantasy points (26.8). He missed a double-double by one rebound (12 points, nine boards) and added two blocks.

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For those that play in DraftKings leagues, check out my values post from earlier today.

Keep track of our Fantasy NBA updates by following us on Twitter, "liking" us on Facebook and/or adding us to your Google+ circle.

Zach Randolph has 23 points and 20 rebounds vs. Pelicans

Entering today's game against the Pelicans, Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph was tied for seventh in the NBA with Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge in double-doubles (24).

Coincidentally, Aldridge was the only player with multiple 20-20 games this season, but Randolph became the eighth player to have one such game this season.

Against the Pelicans, Randolph finished with 23 points, a season-high 20 rebounds and three assists.

As noted by ESPN's Stats & Info, Randolph ranks fifth among active players in most 20-20 games (11) behind Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Kevin Love.

On the season, Randolph is averaging 17.51 points and 10.89 rebounds per game.

Western Conference Finals Prediction: Spurs vs. Grizzlies (Trifone)

I have absolutely no idea who is going to come out of the West.  I typically have a pretty strong opinion on who I feel is going to come out of a given matchup, but these two teams are as evenly matched as they come.  Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph have been dominant in the playoffs, exposing a flawed Oklahoma City Thunder team.  Clearly, Russell Westbrook has meant more to that team than people may have thought, because when asked to carry the load on his own, Kevin Durant fell short of where we had become accustomed to seeing him succeed.

As for the Spurs, they are a tough team to predict.  Last year, they were playing close to perfect basketball, and rolling through the playoffs, only to go cold and lose four straight games to OKC.  This year, they steam-rolled the Lakers in four, and then looked like the inferior team in their first two games at home against the Warriors.  Personally, I thought that they weren't going to get past that series after Golden State left San Antonio with a 1-1 series tie, thoroughly outplaying them in each of the first two games.  The Spurs bounced back, though, and were the better team the rest of the way.

Now, the Spurs face another younger team, but one with a drastically different style than they played in last year's Conference Finals, or this year's Semi-Final matchup.  Memphis has a strong inside game and plays very tough defense.  It promises to be a much lower-scoring series with less transition offense and more fundamental basketball.

Since I have to make a pick, I'm going to take San Antonio.  Both teams have been very impressive, but the Spurs may have just a slight edge.  They have more experience, they have guys who have already won multiple championships, and they have home court advantage.  It's a series that is likely to go seven games, and I'd be surprised if we see any real blowouts.  I'll take Tony Parker and the Big Fundamental to help lead the Spurs to the NBA Finals.

Series Prediction: Spurs in 7 Games 

[Note: This post is from John Trifone.  See his other basketball posts here and/or follow him on Twitter @JohnnyT0122.]

NBA Consensus Power Rankings, Week 14

No other player has done it more than once this season and Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo did it for a fifth time Sunday.

In their 19-point beatdown of the Miami Heat, Rondo finished with a triple-double: 16 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds.

In addition, he had double-digit assists for the 13th straight game. That's the longest streak since Steve Nash had 14 straight games with double-digit assists back in 2005.

And who knows? Maybe Nash will be the Heat point guard in 2012.

Nash said on the Dan Patrick Show (via the L.A. Times) that he would be interested in, um, taking his talents to South Beach: "I would listen. He's phenomenal. I love what they're doing there. A lot of people don't like them because they put all that talent there. But they're professional, they play hard, they play together."

Both Nash and Rondo are the only two players to average double-digit assists this season.

Winners of five straight games, the Celtics are now in first place in the Atlantic Division and are the biggest mover up our Power Rankings board this week.

Here are some stats about this week's NBA Consensus Power Rankings:

- Biggest jump from last week: Boston Celtics (+4.92)
- Biggest drop from last week: Utah Jazz (-2.67)
- Team with widest difference between high and low ranker: Indiana Pacers (6) [See our full NBA Consensus Power Rankings.]

Each week, we respond to one roundtable question and here's this week's question: Excluding the top four seeds in each conference, which team will be the toughest out in the postseason?

John (follow on Twitter): Memphis Grizzlies

This one is easy for me, as I think that the Memphis Grizzlies are going to be a tougher out than some of the top four seeds in each conference. Because they are in the same division as San Antonio, who at this point has a pretty firm grip on the division, Memphis is unlikely to crack the top four by season's end, and will likely finish with either the 5 or 6 seed. The Grizzlies went on a run in last year's playoffs, and I was initially reluctant to assume that they had another run like that in them. I felt comparable about the Mavericks, who clearly have a team capable of being in contention, but are certainly not the favorite. Last year, Dallas surprised virtually everyone, getting extremely hot at the right time, and riding out one of the best playoff performances of all time by Dirk Nowitzki (a performance that for a short time, vaulted him into the conversation as a top 10 player of all time.) I feel a secondary run is extremely unlikely, even though they have the bulk of last year's championship roster. I felt similar about Memphis, but after watching them play the last few weeks, they are really built for the playoffs. They have a great mix of youth and experience, and have a team that is athletic enough to hang with the Oklahoma City's of the world. I think behind OKC and San Antonio, Memphis is the next team most likely to make a deep run, and it wouldn't shock me at all to see them in the Conference Finals.

Kevin (follow on Twitter): Philadelphia 76ers

My initial thought was to go with the Grizzlies, and while I think they will make some noise in the West, I'm going to go with the "homer" pick (Sixers). They are currently only one game out of first in the Atlantic so it's very possible that they end up with a top-four seed. Although they have been a mediocre .500 (9-9) since the break, they have plenty of attributes that make them dangerous in the East. The Sixers rank first in the NBA in team defense (87.8 points allowed per game) and first in the league in fewest turnovers (10.5 per game). They are unselfish and deep (Lou Williams leads the team in scoring off the bench) and they have elite perimeter defenders in Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday.

Dan (follow on Twitter): Memphis Grizzlies

I am going to go with the Memphis Grizzlies as the toughest non-top-four seed out in this year's postseason (much like last year). They have an awesome rotation of bigs with Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, and Rudy Gay, and solid scoring from both Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo. Memphis is also 17-7 at home, and have the pedigree from last year as a lower seed to spring an upset in this year's playoffs.

Sean (follow on Twitter): Memphis Grizzlies

The defending champ Mavs currently hold the No. 5 seed in the West, and would be the logical choice, but after watching them play over the past two weeks, I just don't think they can make a run. I'm going with the No. 6 seed in the West and that is the Memphis Grizzlies. Zach Randolph is back in the lineup, and they are going to be a very dangerous team in the playoffs. I think they would beat the Lakers right now in a series.

To see where all 30 teams fall in our power rankings going through Week 14, click here.

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