With just a handful of games left until the end of the NBA regular season, several teams are still vying for 2022 Draft position.
The Pistons, it seems, are not one of these teams.
Winners of six of their last ten matchups, Detroit is dangerously close to give up the reverse three seed, or the third best odds in the upcoming draft, to Oklahoma City.
The top, or bottom, three are all separated by just 1.5 games. Orlando stands at 17-50, while Houston trails just behind with a record of 17-49.
The Magic, miraculously, are 4-6 in their last ten games, and risk losing the best draft odds that they’ve held for a majority of the season.
Oklahoma City, once dramatically overachieving, is now hot on Detroit’s heels at just 20-46 and two games back. Riddled with injuries, OKC’s chances of winning are looking slimmer and slimmer with each passing day.
After what looked like a firm three No. 1 pick contenders had appeared throughout most of the season, under the right circumstances, OKC has a realistic chance at snagging better positioning in the late stretch.
The Thunder own the 14th hardest remaining strength of schedule, but with nine players on the sideline due to injuries, they’ll need some solid performances to snag wins.
Likely the final lottery order will come down to head-to-head matchup, with OKC has several of. They’ll ace Orlando twice, Portland twice, and Detroit, each of which will be pivotal games in terms of draft odds.
Following OKC are Indiana, Sacramento, San Antonio and Portland, who are all just out of reach of the more favorable odds.
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