Wizards lock top lottery, Kings miss bottom three
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- Washington Wizards have a 17‑61 record, lost six in a row, and now sit at the bottom of the NBA, securing the top lottery odds.
- Sacramento Kings sit at 21‑58, tied with the Utah Jazz for the worst Western Conference record, and their four‑point win over the Pelicans kept them just outside the bottom three.
- Adam Silver is pushing anti‑tanking proposals after a night where seven of nine games featured tanking teams losing by large margins, the largest average margin (24.4 points) in NBA history for a night with at least eight games.
- Chicago Bulls fired GM Marc Eversley and VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, and have since lost seven straight games.
- Brooklyn Nets aim to lock a bottom‑three spot, holding a 14% chance at the top overall pick, with an easy remaining schedule (two games vs Bucks, one vs Pacers).
- Utah Jazz have lost nine consecutive games, the longest active streak, and are tied with the Kings for the worst record in the Western Conference.
- Memphis Grizzlies have used creative injury reports and 10‑day contracts, losing five straight and falling below the Mavericks in the standings.
Why it matters: The Wizards’ top‑lottery spot guarantees them the highest chance at a future franchise‑changing player, while the Kings’ loss keeps the bottom‑three race alive, affecting the draft odds for several teams and intensifying the league’s anti‑tanking debate and could reshape the upcoming draft order.