OKC Thunder lottery odds improved thanks to Cavs and Wolves wins

The NBA season is drawing to a close with the OKC Thunder having just two more games remaining on their schedule. Both games will occur this weekend in Oklahoma City at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Friday the Thunder will host the league-leading Utah Jazz and Sunday, OKC will wrap up the season hosting the Clippers.

While both those teams are invested in maintaining their first and third conference seeds the Thunder have tanking on their minds. Entering this week OKC witnessed those efforts pay dividends as they fell down the ladder into one of the coveted bottom three rungs.

With the NBA changing up the process of how the NBA Draft Lottery is conducted getting one of those bottom three slots ensures an equal 14 percent shot of winning the top draft pick.

That said, at week’s start that position was precarious at best. The prospect of all the team’s tanking efforts ending with coin tosses to determine lottery seeding persists. In fact, on Monday there was a very real chance that five teams would finish the season with identical records and be subjected to those coin tosses.

Those five teams included the OKC Thunder, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

OKC Thunder lottery odds improve thanks to fellow tankers

As Intentions outlined the one team who cemented one of those bottom three seeds is the Rockets. Houston has won only 16 games and can’t catch any of the teams above them. That’s why they have nothing to lose in their final games and perhaps why they pushed the Lakers to the edge losing by only two points on Wednesday evening.

Likewise, it seems certain the Pistons will join the Rockets given they have 20 wins versus the Thunder 21 wins.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Thankfully, two of the teams in that group of five helped out the OKC Thunder with victories in the last two days. The Wolves won the tanking match versus the Pistons and the Cavaliers beat the Celtics on Wednesday.

That’s hugely significant for OKC because it means both Cleveland and Minnesota now have an extra win (22) than the Thunder (21). All the Thunder needs to do is lose to the Jazz and Clippers to ensure they are no higher than fourth entering the Draft Lottery.

But why stop there?  If the Magic can beat the Hawks tonight or win one of their final two games versus the 76ers it will guarantee the Thunder get one of those coveted three spots with 14 percent odds in the lottery.  While it’s a long shot don’t underestimate the desires of Cole Anthony whose shown a penchant for game-winning shots this season.

Pull on your rally caps Thunder Nation and loudly cheer for Anthony and the Magic. Let’s get that bottom three seed!