The NBA held its annual tiebreaker drawings on Monday to separate clubs that finished the regular season with the same record, locking in their pre-lottery draft positions.
First-round tiebreaker results
• Utah Jazz (No. 4) over Sacramento Kings (No. 5)
Utah’s selection is guaranteed to land inside the top eight, wiping out the team’s outstanding obligation to Oklahoma City.
• New Orleans Pelicans (No. 7) over Dallas Mavericks (No. 8)
The Pelicans receive one extra lottery combination (out of 1,000) than Dallas. New Orleans’ pick will go to Atlanta if it is better than Milwaukee’s, otherwise it transfers to Milwaukee.
• Phoenix Suns (No. 16) over Philadelphia 76ers (No. 17) over Orlando Magic (No. 18)
Phoenix’s first-rounder is headed to Memphis, Philadelphia’s to Oklahoma City, and Orlando’s to Charlotte.
• Toronto Raptors (No. 19) over Atlanta Hawks (No. 20)
Atlanta’s pick is owed to San Antonio.
• Houston Rockets (No. 22) over Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 23)
Houston’s pick will go to Philadelphia, while Cleveland’s will be conveyed to Atlanta.
• New York Knicks (No. 24) over Los Angeles Lakers (No. 25)
Impact on the second round
The order reverses for tied teams in Round 2. For example, Orlando will select 46th, followed by Philadelphia at 47 and Phoenix at 48—opposite of their first-round sequence.
Second-round positions involving lottery clubs remain fluid until the May lottery. If, for instance, the Kings jump to No. 1 overall, their second-round pick would drop behind Utah’s (traded to San Antonio); if both teams stay put, Sacramento would pick 34th and Utah 35th.
The league plans to release complete lottery odds and the full pre-lottery draft board later today.
Source: HoopsRumors
