Wolves improve draft chances in pre-lottery draw

The team has a 43.9 percent chance in the May 16 lottery to pick sixth.

April 18, 2017 at 11:50PM
Timberwolves fans Rachael Eggert left and her husband Todd Dombrock cheered after Minnesota was award the first pick in the NBA draft during draft lottery pick party at Target Center Tuesday May 19, 2015 in Minneapolis, MN. ] Jerry Holt/
Wolves fans celebrated two years ago when the team got the first pick in the NBA draft during the lottery, a pick used on Karl-Anthony Towns. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Do you feel lucky?

The Wolves were Tuesday, winning a draw with the New York Knicks for the sixth slot in the NBA's draft order before next month's lottery is held.

The draw of a Ping-Pong ball from a hopper was televised by NBA TV. It was the last of five drawings that broke ties between teams that finished with the same regular-season record.

The Wolves and Knicks each went 31-51, but the Wolves' ball — with something that resembled their new logo — popped out, giving them the edge in the draft order over the Knicks.

The Wolves now have a 43.9 percent chance in May 16 lottery to pick sixth, a 33.1 percent chance to pick seventh, a 4.5 percent chance to pick eighth and a 0.1 percent chance to pick ninth in the June draft.

They also have a 5.3 percent chance to win the first overall pick, a 6.0 percent chance to pick second and a 7.0 percent chance to pick third.

The Wolves lost the season's last six games to help them get that sixth slot.

The draft's top prospects include Washington point guard Markelle Fultz, UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball, Kansas forward Josh Jackson and Duke forward Jayson Tatum.

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If the Wolves draft sixth, seventh or eighth, they'll likely be choosing from Kentucky guard Malik Monk, Florida State forward Jonathan Isaac, Arizona stretch-4 shooter Lauri Markkanen or one of five point guards expected to go among the first 10 picks. That includes Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox, North Carolina State's Dennis Smith and France's Frank Ntilikina.

about the writer

about the writer

Jerry Zgoda

Reporter

Jerry Zgoda covers Minnesota United FC and Major League Soccer for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

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Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune

Anthony Edwards hit the go-ahead basket with 16.8 seconds left and the Wolves won after trailing by as many as 19 points.

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