The Kings won a key NBA draft tiebreaker that took place today, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The league conducts tiebreakers when two teams finish the season with the same record. The winner of the tiebreaker gets the higher pick or the higher spot in the lottery standings.
In Sacramento’s case, the team entered the March 11 hiatus with a 28-36 record, identical to the Pelicans‘ 28-36 mark. Because the NBA is sorting its lottery standings based on non-playoff teams’ pre-hiatus records, the Kings and Pelicans had been tied for the 12th spot.
As a result of today’s tiebreaker, Sacramento will get the 12th pick in the draft, assuming neither of the two teams behind them jump into the top four; the Pelicans would receive the 13th pick in that scenario. The two teams’ draft lottery odds will be nearly identical, though Sacramento will have the slight edge, with the Kings receiving 13 of 1,000 available ping-pong ball combinations on lottery night, compared to 12 combinations for the Pelicans.
In the second round, the order will be flipped — the Pelicans will get the No. 42 pick and the Kings will be at No. 43.
Meanwhile, the Thunder finished the season tied with the Rockets and Jazz in the standings at 44-28, so a tiebreaker was required to determine their draft order.
As a result of today’s tiebreaker, the Oklahoma City pick will be No. 21, according to Charania, who adds that Houston’s pick will be No. 22, followed by Utah’s at No. 23.
Of those three teams, only the Jazz actually still own their 2020 first-rounder. The Sixers will receive OKC’s No. 21 pick, while the Nuggets will get Houston’s pick at No. 22. It’s an ideal outcome for Philadelphia, considering that Thunder pick was top-20 protected.
In the second round, Utah’s pick will be No. 51, Houston’s will be No. 52, and Oklahoma City’s will be No. 53. However, the Jazz and Rockets don’t own their second-rounders. Instead, it’ll be the Warriors drafting at No. 51 and the Kings at No. 52.
Look like Warriors get 48 and 51
Sell them for money or trade other guys to reduce roster number
It’ll be about the Kings luck if they “win” the tiebreaker, but the #13 slot actually jumps up to top 4 in the lottery. I can’t figure out whether the Kings or the Timberwolves are the most mismanaged franchise in the NBA. Fox aside, the Kings always seem to not do much with their draft picks, but the T-Wolves had 3 #1 overall picks (Bennett, Wiggins, Towns) in a row on their roster and couldn’t do anything with them.
It’s the Timberpuppies in a landslide.
To be fair about those picks
They only picked Towns. The best out of those three
The other two were drafted by the cavs and traded to the wolves.
Yes, but the T-Wolves gave up their best player in Kevin Love to get them. So they are still culpable.
WHEW !!
Glad we got through all that JAZZ !!
Every time the Rockets win in the playoffs you can hear a pin drop on all the message boards, but any time they lose the Haters come out in droves.