The race for the fifth slot in the lottery standings is heating up.
Tank enthusiasts were probably devastated to see a four-point play from Chicago’s Coby White on Friday night force overtime against the Raptors in the closing seconds as Toronto would go on to blow a very winnable game in the extra session. However, the Raptors responded with a road win in Orlando on Sunday night which kept things tight for the highly-coveted fifth slot in the lottery standings. A reminder if the Sixers land in the fifth slot, their chances of retaining their top-six protected first-rounder will be 64%. It’s just a 46% chance they keep it if they finish sixth and only about a 32% chance if they stay in the seventh slot they’re currently in.
Brooklyn has not won a game since defeating the Sixers in Philadelphia on Feb. 22. The Nets and Sixers begin the week tied in the win column but with Brooklyn holding a half-game edge for the sixth slot in the lottery standings due to having one more loss than Philly. That half game comes off on Monday when the Sixers host the Trail Blazers with the Nets idle.
While the Bulls were able to pull out a win on Friday night, they remain relevant in this picture after losses last week to the Clippers and Pacers. There’s been some movement on the fringes as New Orleans has won four of five and six of its last seven. The Pelicans are now 17-44 and if their run continues they’ll soon be included in this weekly tank primer. Portland’s surge has also put the Spurs into ninth place. We’ll keep this to a fifth through ninth tracker for now.
Toronto (19-42): 5th in lottery standings
Schedule this week: @ ORL Tues, vs. UTAH Fri, vs. WSH Sun
Brooklyn (21-39): 6th in lottery standings
Schedule this week: @ SA Tues, vs. GS Thurs, @ CHA Sat
Philadelphia (21-38): 7th in lottery standings
Schedule this week: vs. POR Mon, @ MIN Tues, @ BOS Thurs, vs. UTAH Sun
Chicago (24-37): 8th in lottery standings
Schedule this week: vs. CLE Tues, @ ORL Thurs, @ MIA Sat
San Antonio (25-34): 9th in lottery standings
Schedule this week: vs. BKN Tues, @ SAC Fri, @ MIN Sun
We kept the Bulls and Spurs on the tracker, but as you can see, there’s a small cushion between teams 5-7 and 8-9 now. Toronto has an extremely easy schedule in the season’s final six weeks and the Raptors get three sub-.500 teams this week including two home games against teams it holds a better record than in the Jazz and Wizards.
While games against the Spurs and Hornets are on the road, it’s also shaping up to be a week that includes at least one Nets win. However, the week for Philadelphia is bookended with winnable games. On Monday night, Portland comes to Wells Fargo Center on the second leg of a back-to-back and played overtime in Cleveland on Sunday. The Sixers are a 3.5-point favorite in the game against the Trail Blazers. Given that point spread, Philadelphia will probably be favored by 7-10 points on Sunday against Utah.
There’s a lot of games between bad teams this week. That means it’s an interesting week for the Sixers. Tank enthusiasts can take solace in the fact that Saturday’s win was likely a bit anomalous for Philadelphia. For as promising as Quentin Grimes may look, he’s probably not going to eclipse 40 points again for the rest of the reason. It’s not every game that Andre Drummond has a double-double either and Kelly Oubre can’t always be counted on for 20 points. On a team level, the Sixers shooting 57% from three-point range is unlikely to be replicated. Here’s to hoping the Warriors win was a one-off and not the start of a streak.