THE Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder won a tie-breaker over the Cleveland Cavaliers to secure the fourth pre-lottery position, one of six random drawings the league held on Tuesday that could determine positioning in the July 29 draft.
The Thunder and Cavs both finished 22-50. They both have an 11.5-percent chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick. If no team moves forward in the lottery, OKC will pick at No. 4 with Cleveland selecting one spot later.
IN THE OTHER DRAWINGS:
The Chicago Bulls (31-41) won a tie-breaker with the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings. Second and third place in the tie-breaker drawings went to Sacramento and New Orleans, respectively. At positions 8-10, they all have a 4.5-percent chance of drawing the top pick.
The Charlotte Hornets (33-39) won a tie-breaker with the San Antonio Spurs for 11th position. The Hornets have a 1.8-percent chance of getting the top pick; the Spurs have a 1.7-percent chance.
The New York Knicks (41-31) won a tie-breaker with the Atlanta Hawks. The Knicks will pick 19th.
The Dallas Mavericks (42-30) won a tie-breaker with the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. Second and third place in the tie-breaker drawings went to Los Angeles and Portland, respectively. The Mavs will pick 21st.
The LA Clippers (47-25) won a tie-breaker with the Denver Nuggets and will pick 25th.
The NBA Draft Lottery will be held June 22. Drawings will be conducted to determine the first four picks in the draft. The remainder of the lottery teams will select in position Nos. 5 through 14 in inverse order of their records in the regular season. — Reuters