The Oklahoma City Thunder needed one more loss to remain tied with the Orlando Magic for the third-best odds in the NBA draft lottery.
Instead, they took down the Los Angeles Clippers, who were short-handed after choosing to rest Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in an effort to get the fourth seed.
Oklahoma City slipped to the fourth-best odds, where the team is now tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Instead of a random drawing deciding whether the Thunder will select third or fourth, the drawing will decide whether they choose fourth or fifth.
Whether fourth or fifth, the Thunder will have a 47.1% chance of remaining in the top five. The key difference is there’s a 27.1% chance the team with the fourth-best odds ends up at pick six, while a 25.5% chance the team in fifth ends up with the No. 7 pick.
Here is the full NBA lottery order:
1. Houston Rockets
2. Detroit Pistons
3. Orlando Magic
T4. Cleveland Cavaliers
T4. Oklahoma City Thunder
6. Minnesota Timberwolves (top-3 protected; would convey to Golden State Warriors if 4 or worse)
7. Toronto Raptors
8. New Orleans Pelicans
T9. Sacramento Kings
T9. Chicago Bulls (Magic own this pick)
11. Charlotte Hornets*
12. San Antonio Spurs*
13. Indiana Pacers*
14. Memphis Grizzlies*
* Note: The bottom four teams are in the play-in tournament and could change position.