Here we are ! About two weeks from the end of the regular season, the NBA will very quickly split into two very distinct groups. On the one hand the ambitious teams in the short term, whose goal is therefore to win matches, we agree, and on the other a few franchises whose ambitions are rather stationed in 2023, or even in 2030 for some. We call it the Lottery race, and last night the Thunder took a new step by offering Kevin Knox the right to dream of a career in the NBA.
If it is not as publicized and raised as the battle to integrate the Top 8 of the Playoffs, the hunt for the 1st choice of Draft remains an unmissable event, which also brings its share of fears and sweat each year. With teams having to position themselves in the best possible way for this funny egg hunt, it is necessary – also – that we zoom in on those who lose with happiness: here is the point of the day concerning the depths of the general classification.
The results of the night
- Pacers – Nuggets : 118-125
- Cavaliers – Mavericks : 112-120
- Wizards – Magic : 127-110
- Raptors – Wolves : 125-102
- Celtics – Heat : 98-106
- Knicks – Hornets : 114-125
- Rockets – Kings : 118-121
- Thunder – Hawks : 118-136
- Spurs – Grizzlies : 111-112
- Warriors – Suns : 103-107
- Blazers – Pelicans : 107-117
Le Tankathon 2022
Good deal of the day – Pacers, Magic, Rockets, Blazers and Thunder: overall, that night the tanks were out and the tank was full. Pacers who almost did anything thanks to Lance Stephenson but who finally let Nikola Jokic graze them quietly, the Magic who made Kristaps Porzingis look like Rick Barry, the Rockets who mischievously failed in the last seconds against the Kings, the Blazers who had eyes only for CJ McCollum back in the room and, finally, the Thunder, who had taken around 80 checkers at halftime including 30 from Trae Young and, crazier still, 15 of Kevin Knox, but if you know, for some the worst player seen in the NBA for years. The concept of tanking magnified, a very hot Lindy Waters III, even if you don’t know who Lindy Waters III is, but that’s precisely the concept of tanking.
Bad trade of the day – Kings: decidedly, they do nothing like everyone else. While it would have been enough to leave a meter to a very prominent Kevin Porter Jr. / Jalen Green duo this night, Davion Mitchell and Donte DiVincenzo preferred to try to get the DPOY in the last minute and in the end all the efforts of the Kings to let his opponent back into the game proved futile. Tell yourself that to lose the Kings had even dared to pass Bruno Fernando for Shaquille O’Neal, the kind of sentence that you will only read in this kind of paper. It’s that they must love their pick 9 the Kings, we see no other explanation.
The program for the next night
- 1h : Pistons – Sixers
- 1h30 : Nets – Bucks
- 1h30 : Hawks – Cavs
- 2h : Bulls – Clippers
- 4h : Jazz – Lakers
Reminder about the Lottery:
- Worst record in the League: 14% chance of getting the 1st draft pick
- 2nd worst record in the League : 14% chance
- 3rd worst record in the League : 14% chance
- 4th worst record in the League : 12.5% chance
- 5th worst league record : 10.5% chance
- 6th worst league record : 9% chance
- 7th worst league record : 7.5% chance
- 8th worst league record : 6% chance
- 9th worst record in the League : 4.5% chance
- 10th worst league record : 3% chance
- 11th worst league record : 2% chance
- 12th worst league record : 1.5% chance
- 13th worst league record : 1% chance
- 14th worst league record : 0.5% chance
Source text: Tankathon
