Tanking OKC Thunder nab coveted bottom 3 with 3 games to go
OKC Thunder opponents varying degrees of interest in the tank:
Yet, as the teams rounded the bend closing out the schedule multiple shifts occurred at the bottom of the ladder. The resulting effect benefitted the Thunder.
The Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves elected to favor winning over tanking. In the case of the Wolves, that’s a particularly risky choice since the Warriors will get Minnesota’s pick if the bingo balls fall fourth or higher.
Yet, with superstar Karl Anthony-Towns likely getting tired of missing the playoffs presumably the Wolves are trying to channel an effort akin to what the Suns did in the Disney bubble to carry forward in 2021-22.
Sacramento is still statistically capable of getting the 10th seed although it will require the Kings to win out, the Spurs losing every remaining game, and the Pelicans not getting in their way.
In a season featuring an extremely deep draft class that strategy could be questioned, but here at Intentions were not about to question it (wink).
This past weekend, the Thunder had moved into the fourth-best position with 12.5 percent odds to nab the top draft pick.
The ultimate position is to be one of the bottom three teams in the NBA. That trio of clubs gets the most bingo balls or equal odds of 14 percent to win the top draft pick. As of this morning entering the final week of play the Thunder has dropped into that covetous bottom three alongside the Rockets and Pistons.
This occurred via the Wolves beating the Magic on Sunday. Granted, it’s worth noting each of the Wolves, Cavaliers, and Magic have played one fewer game than OKC so could all draw even with OKC if they lose their next match.
Things could get very tricky with several teams finishing with the same record. Only the Rockets are securely locked into a bottom-three finish given their 16 wins and four games remaining all against seeded clubs (Blazers, Lakers, Clippers Hawks).
The Pistons have one extra loss and one less win than the Thunder but will play the Wolves on Tuesday so one of them has to lose.
Looking at where the teams stand entering the final week of play:
The three teams as of today in the bottom three — that covetous spot that receives 14 percent odds of the top draft pick are the Rockets (16-52), Pistons (20-49), and OKC Thunder (21-48). The next tier or trio is also tied with the Cavaliers, Magic, and Timberwolves all with 21-47 records.