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OKC Thunder: NBA Draft – Tank wars heat up in week 17

By Tamberlyn Richardson

OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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OKC Thunder forward Aleksej Pokusevski (17) shoots as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Taurean Prince (12) defends him. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports. /

OKC Thunder – NBA Draft: Tank wars heat up

Entering play on Friday, here’s the order of the current 14 lottery teams. The percentage of the team odds of winning the top draft pick are noted as (0.0%) in brackets.

  1. Minnesota Timberwolves: (14%)
  2. Houston Rockets: (14%)
  3. Detroit Pistons (14%)
  4. Orlando Magic (12.5%)
  5. OKC Thunder (10.5%)
  6. Cleveland Cavaliers (8.3%)
  7. Washington Wizards (8.2%)
  8. Sacramento Kings (6%)
  9. Toronto Raptors (4.5%)
  10. Chicago Bulls – (see *note re: Magic), (3.0%)
  11. New Orleans Pelicans (2.0%)
  12. Indiana Pacers  (1.5%)
  13. San Antonio Spurs (0.5%)
  14. Golden State Warriors (1.0%)

Notes:

  • A win by the Wizards versus the Jazz on Monday resulted in them climbing to seventh and the OKC Thunder dropping to sixth
  • The Rockets and Wolves have shifted back and forth in the top two slots twice this week.
  • The Bulls pick belongs to the Orlando Magic with 1-4 protections
  • The OKC Thunder dropped an additional rung with the Cavaliers winning a game this week.
  • The Kings and Raptors are tied.
  • The Heat are currently positioned with the 19th pick of the draft. If the Rockets get a top-four pick the Thunder would get this pick instead.

Weekend tank wars:

Four and a half weeks of gameplay remain resulting in the tank wars ramping up. On Monday, four teams flipped positions in the top seven spots including the Thunder. In fact, OKC began the week in seventh and has dropped two spots (to fifth) aided by their eight-game losing streak.

Most teams have 16 or 17 games remaining including 10 of the current teams seeded in those 14 lottery positions. Three teams have 18 games to play while the Spurs have 19 remaining.

To help fans keep track of the teams in the hunt for those coveted spots and where the Thunder are in the mix Intentions is serving up a deeper dive starting this weekend.

Given the Wolves (-6.5) and Rockets (-6.0) have a substantial head start it’s fairly safe to assume they’re locked into two of the three coveted three bottom spots.

The next two teams are within striking distance for the OKC Thunder. First, OKC has to set its sights on catching …

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