LaMelo Ball Fined $60K, But Won’t Be Suspended
The NBA announced (via Twitter) that Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has been assessed a flagrant foul 2 and fined $35K for “making unnecessary and reckless contact” with Heat center Bam Adebayo during Tuesday’s play-in game. Ball also received a $25K fine for “using profane language during a live post-game television interview.”
The action means Ball won’t be suspended for Friday’s game at Orlando, which will determine whether Charlotte can advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.
The play occurred in the first half when Ball had his shot blocked by Miami’s Simone Fontecchio. Ball fell to the court and grabbed Adebayo’s foot, bringing him to the floor as he grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Fontecchio (video link via NBA.com).
Ball would have been ejected if the officials had whistled a flagrant 2 when the play happened, but no call was made at the time. He wound up hitting a game-winning layup in the closing seconds of overtime to end the Heat’s season.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra called it a “dangerous play” in his post-game session with the media and said Ball should have been “thrown out of the game” for his actions. “There’s no place in the game for that,” Spoelstra added.
After a hard landing, Adebayo limped to the locker room and was ruled out in the second half due to a lower back injury. He was only available for 11:26, finishing with six points and three rebounds.
Ball expressed regret after the game, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscription required).
“I apologize on that one,” he said. “I got hit in the head, didn’t know where I was. But I’m going to check on (Adebayo) and see if he is OK and everything.”
Southeast Notes: Ball, Heat, Knueppel, Magic, Wizards
The NBA is reviewing LaMelo Ball‘s trip of Bam Adebayo, which resulted in the Heat big man suffering a lower back injury and exiting Tuesday’s play-in game early, reports Chris Haynes of NBA on Prime (Twitter link). A ruling is expected before Friday, Haynes adds.
As we detailed on Tuesday night, after having his shot blocked by Heat wing Simone Fontecchio, Ball fell to the court and grabbed Adebayo’s foot, bringing him to the floor as he grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Fontecchio (video link via NBA.com). Ball wasn’t called for any sort of foul by the game officials, who missed the trip in real time, but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra expressed his discontent after the game, referring to it as a “dangerous play” by the Hornets guard.
Crew chief Zach Zarba confirmed to a pool reporter after the game that the league has the ability to review the play after the fact, which is exactly what the NBA will do. ESPN’s Shams Charania said during an NBA Today appearance (Twitter video link) that league officials have already reached out both teams and intend to interview Ball. For his part, the Hornets star apologized after the game, explaining, “I got hit in the head (on the play) and didn’t really know where I was,” per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
It seems likely that the NBA will ultimately decide to assess Ball with a flagrant foul 1 or flagrant foul 2, but there’s doubt that he’ll be suspended for Friday’s do-or-die play-in game against the loser of Wednesday’s Sixers/Magic matchup, according to Charania.
Here are a few more items of interest from across the Southeast:
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks and The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson preview the Heat‘s upcoming offseason, noting that the team’s decision on unrestricted free agent Norman Powell will be a major factor in what direction the summer goes. Jackson believes it’s a “toss-up” whether Powell returns, pointing out that the veteran guard was less durable and less productive in the second half, reducing the odds of Miami offering him a lucrative long-term contract.
- In a separate story for The Miami Herald, Jackson says he hopes Tuesday’s play-in loss is a wake-up call for Heat management and that team president Pat Riley is prepared to admit that – regardless of injury luck – this roster isn’t good enough to contend. Riley and the front office need to consider new ideas, Jackson writes, including perhaps being more open to selling high on Miami’s own players or buying low on stars whose value has declined.
- Media members who vote on end-of-season awards have yet to receive their ballots as the NBA weighs “extraordinary circumstances” applications, prompting Chris Mannix of SI.com to wonder if Kon Knueppel‘s 2-of-12 night on Tuesday might hurt the Hornets sharpshooter’s Rookie of the Year chances, even though voters are only supposed to consider regular season performances.
- Magic forward Jett Howard, out since April 3 with a left ankle sprain, has been upgraded to available for Wednesday’s play-in game vs. Philadelphia, while Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) is still considered questionable, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Isaac last suited up on March 12 and seems unlikely to see much – if any – action even if he’s active.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac examines several of the decisions facing the Wizards this offseason, including how to handle Trae Young‘s contract situation and whether to extend Anthony Davis.
Spoelstra Fumes Over ‘Dangerous Play’ That Injured Adebayo
The Heat–Hornets overtime thriller on Tuesday was marred by what Miami coach Erik Spoelstra called a “stupid play.”
Charlotte pulled out a 127-126 play-in tournament victory, with LaMelo Ball scoring the game-winning layup. Ball was also involved in a controversial play in the first half. Heat wing Simone Fontecchio blocked his shot and the Hornets guard tumbled to the ground. The ball landed in Bam Adebayo‘s hands and Ball, as ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk describes, grabbed at the Heat center’s legs, tripping him.
Adebayo fell hard to the floor and eventually limped back to the locker room. He was ruled out during the second half due to a lower back injury.
Spoelstra felt Ball should have been ejected. Instead, the Hornets guard finished with 30 points and 10 assists.
“I don’t think it’s cute. I don’t think it’s funny. I think it’s a stupid play,” Spoelstra said, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). “It’s a dangerous play. Obviously, our best player was out. I’m not making an excuse. The Hornets played great and made those plays down the stretch. We had our opportunities to win. That’s a shame. He should be penalized for that. I don’t think that belongs in the game, tripping guys, shenanigans. Somebody has got to see that. He should have been thrown out of the game for that. There’s no place in the game for that.”
Official Zach Zarba explained to a pool reporter why the play wasn’t reviewed
“The play wasn’t whistled in real time. Play continued with a fast break,” he said. “And because play wasn’t stopped immediately, and there was no whistle on the play, the window to review the play was closed. Play was stopped, after a change of possession, and then a time out. So, by rule, our window to review that play then is closed.”
According to Zarba, Ball could be disciplined by league operations when they review the play.
Ball was apologetic after the game, Youngmisuk tweets. He said he got hit in the head on the play and didn’t know where he was. He added that he would speak to Adebayo about it.
The Hornets will head to either Philadelphia or Orlando to play on Friday for the final playoff spot in the East.
Southeast Notes: Jakucionis, Fontecchio, Young, Davis, Magic
Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis wound up playing in 53 games, including 12 starts, during his rookie season. The Miami brass was pleased with his development, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.
“I’m very encouraged by the progress that he’s made,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s willed himself through his work and consistent actions to be pretty consistent in our rotation the last several weeks. That was hard-earned. “He’s a lot better now than where he was coming into training camp, and certainly where he was in summer league. But he’s relentless, and he wants to get better. You have to respect his competitive spirit. He’s a competitor out there, even as a young player, so he’ll continue to get better.”
Jakucionis scored in double figures in three of his last seven games and also had a nine-assist performance against Washington earlier this month.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Despite an erratic season, Simone Fontecchio would like to re-sign with the Heat, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays. He’ll be a free agent this summer. “I’d love to stay here,” Fontecchio told Italy’s Sky Sports. “I wouldn’t want to move my family again because we’re great in Miami. Just as importantly, I feel really comfortable with everyone here, from the owners to the coaching staff, and especially in this locker room, which is special because of the group it’s created.” Fontecchio appeared in 70 regular season games but his playing time and production weren’t consistent. He has averaged 8.5 points in 16.7 minutes per game.
- In his offseason guide, ESPN’s Bobby Marks says the top priorities this summer for the Wizards are Trae Young‘s and Anthony Davis‘ contract situations. Young has a June 23 deadline to either exercise his $49MM player option or become an unrestricted free agent and could sign a longer-term deal with Washington either way. Davis cannot become a free agent but is eligible to sign a four-year extension as of Aug. 6. The first year of such an extension would replace his $62.8MM option for 2027/28.
- While the Magic‘s season won’t end if they lose a play-in game at Philadelphia 0n Wednesday, it will call into question the direction of the franchise, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel opines. Bianchi believes it stands as a referendum as to the progress they’ve made in recent years.
Bucks Notes: Rivers, Shams, Giannis, Green, More
Before Doc Rivers and the Bucks officially announced on Monday that he won’t be returning as the team’s head coach for 2026/27, Rivers claimed during an appearance on the Run it Back show on FanDuel TV (Twitter video link) that ESPN’s Shams Charania got upset about Rivers joking prior to All-Star weekend that Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the captains for the celebrity game, should “trade” Charania.
“Shams took that so personal that he actually called the Bucks and yelled at them to take (the clip) down,” Rivers said, laughing and describing ESPN’s top NBA insider as “emotional.”
Rivers added that he heard from “10 different people” after that incident who told him that Charania would publish a “revenge article” on Rivers and the Bucks, which is how the veteran coach explained last week’s ESPN report that included several behind-the-scenes details from anonymous sources on a dysfunctional season in Milwaukee.
“I just report the news and the truth can hurt sometimes,” Charania said during a Monday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video links). “… If (the Bucks) spent as much time dealing with their own internal problems as they did responding to accurate reports, they wouldn’t be in the mess that they’re in right now. … I’m just here to document and cover it the right way.”
Here’s more on the Bucks:
- Eric Nehm of The Athletic shares his own reporting on a disappointing Bucks season, citing multiple league sources who say that Rivers told several veteran players following a March 21 shootaround in Phoenix that he thought they’d “failed him.” The coach also questioned their “commitment, conditioning, focus, and leadership,” according to Nehm, who said those vets didn’t take kindly to Rivers’ remarks. “That’s when I checked out on this season,” one player told The Athletic.
- In an interview with Mark Medina of EssentiallySports, Bucks broadcaster Marques Johnson said that the Antetokounmpo saga in Milwaukee – including a disagreement between the star forward and the team about his health – is “as toxic as it appears,” referring to it as a “bad situation.”
- Identifying a few potential candidates for the Bucks’ newly opened head coaching position, Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentions a couple names that have been previously reported – former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and current Bucks assistant Darvin Ham – and adds two more to the list: Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney and Heat assistant Chris Quinn. Sweeney is a former Bucks assistant who formed a strong bond with Antetokounmpo, Owczarski notes, while Milwaukee received permission to interview Quinn in the past.
- Antetokounmpo’s future and the head coaching search are the focus of Bobby Marks’ Bucks offseason preview at ESPN.com, but Marks also examines the team’s cap situation and its tradable assets, and suggests Milwaukee needs to find a lead guard and establish an identity on defense after plummeting to 26th in the NBA in defensive rating in 2025/26.
- Fourth-year sharpshooter A.J. Green, whose four-year, $45MM extension will begin in 2026/27, set a new franchise record by making 11 three-pointers in the Bucks’ regular season finale on Sunday. Steve Megargee of The Associated Press has the story.
Poll: Who Will Win Tuesday’s Play-In Games?
The Hornets got off to an 11-23 start in 2025/26, looking awfully similar to the team that lost 55, 61, and 63 games in the three seasons prior to this one. But losing their 23rd game on January 2, Charlotte has been a revelation, posting the NBA’s best net rating (+10.7) and sixth-best record (33-15) during that stretch as youngsters like Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel enjoyed breakout years.
Having been bogged down by their slow start, the Hornets’ red-hot play over the course of three-plus months to close out the season only got them so far. They finished the season ranked ninth in the East, so despite being the conference’s fourth-best team since the new year (behind only Detroit, Boston, and Cleveland), Charlotte will have to win a pair of play-in games to make the playoffs.
The first of those play-in matchups will occur on Tuesday, when the Hornets host the Heat in Charlotte. Although the Hornets are comfortably favored to win that game – most sportsbooks are listing Miami as about a six-point underdog – a victory is hardly guaranteed against a Heat team that finished the year just a single game back of Charlotte and won the regular season series 3-1.
The Heat have had a more up-and-down season than the Hornets. After compiling winning streaks of six and seven games earlier in the year, they lost five in a row in March, which decimated their chances of securing a top-six spot in the East. But they’ve had to deal with a series of injuries affecting top players, including Tyler Herro, who was limited to 33 outings after making the All-Star team last season, and have managed to hold their own anyway, finishing in the top 14 in the NBA in both offensive and defensive rating.
Miami also holds the edge in postseason experience over Charlotte. The Heat are old hands in the play-in tournament, having earned playoff spots via the play-in in each of the past three seasons, including as the No. 10 seed a year ago. Conversely, Charlotte hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2016, and the last time they were in the play-in (2022), LaMelo Ball and the Hornets were blown out by 29 points.
Over in the West, the 45-37 Suns will host the 42-40 Trail Blazers in Tuesday’s late game. While the No. 9 Hornets and No. 10 Heat are simply trying to keep their respective seasons alive, Phoenix and Portland are playing in the West’s No. 7 vs. 8 game, meaning one of them will be able to clinch a playoff spot with a victory tonight.
The Suns will host the contest and are viewed as roughly four-point favorites. But the upstart squad, which has enjoyed an encouraging bounce-back season after parting ways with Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant last summer, hasn’t been playing its best basketball in recent weeks. Following a 39-27 start, Phoenix won just six of 16 games to close out the season. The Blazers, on the other hand, wrapped up the regular season on a 10-4 run, picking up a crucial victory over the Clippers on Friday to take control of the No. 8 seed in the West.
Still, like the Heat in the early game, the Suns’ top players have been here before. Top scorers Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks have 76 total playoff appearances between them, while regulars like Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, and Jalen Green have competed in postseason series too. The Blazers have some veterans in their rotation, including former NBA champion Jrue Holiday, but key contributors Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, Toumani Camara, Shaedon Sharpe, and Scoot Henderson have yet to appear in a playoff game.
Will the home court and playoff experience advantages be enough to earn the Suns a win, or will the Blazers’ late-season momentum carry over to the play-in? Can the Heat recreate last season’s success as a No. 10 seed in the play-in, or will the Hornets show on Tuesday that their second-half run was no fluke?
Vote in our poll below on tonight’s matchups, then head to the comment section to weigh in with your predictions!
Who will win Tuesday's play-in games?
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Charlotte Hornets and Phoenix Suns 39% (287)
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Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers 35% (253)
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Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns 17% (125)
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Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers 9% (67)
Total votes: 732
Injury Notes: Doncic, Heat, Allen, Hunter, Butler
Lakers star Luka Doncic is scheduled to return to the United States and rejoin his team on Friday, reports Melissa Rohlin of the California Post.
Doncic, who suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain on April 2, had been in Spain receiving treatment on the injury in the hopes of accelerating his recovery timeline. According to Dave McMenamin and Shams Charania of ESPN, the All-Star guard has received multiple injections during his time overseas.
Although Doncic will be reporting back to the Lakers, his status going forward remains up in the air. Typically, a Grade 2 hamstring strain requires a recovery period of approximately a month, and Los Angeles won’t want to be cavalier about its franchise player’s health. Still, Doncic is pushing to return as quickly as he can and the team hasn’t offered any updates on his status since ruling him out for the regular season earlier this month.
We have more health updates from around the NBA:
- Heat guard Dru Smith (right big toe sprain / right foot soreness) and Nikola Jovic (left ankle sprain) have been ruled out for Tuesday’s play-in game in Charlotte, but forward Pelle Larsson expects to be available despite being listed as questionable due to a right lower leg contusion, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
- Suns wing Grayson Allen has been listed as questionable for Tuesday’s play-in game vs. Portland, with head coach Jordan Ott referring to him as “day-to-day,” according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Allen, who is dealing with left hamstring soreness, missed Sunday’s regular season finale. It sounds like his availability will be determined closer to tip-off.
- Kings forward De’Andre Hunter said he has made a “complete and successful recovery” from the eye injury that ended his season, tweets James Ham of The Kings Beat. Hunter underwent surgery on his left eye just after the All-Star break due to a detached retina. Although Sacramento’s season is over, the the 28-year-old has been cleared for basketball activities and should be able to go through his usual offseason routine.
- While Jimmy Butler‘s recovery from ACL surgery figures to extend well into the 2026/27 season, he’s making progress, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link), who notes that the Warriors swingman is no longer using crutches.
Southeast Notes: Jaquez, Herro, Carrington, Cain
The Heat entered the season hoping for a bounce-back performance following last season’s 10th-place finish in the East, but it has been a disappointing year in Miami, where the Heat once again find themselves entering the postseason as the No. 10 seed in the East.
While the team might not have achieved its regular season goals, it was a successful season from an individual perspective for third-year forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., who is one of the frontrunners for the Sixth Man of the Year award, writes Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
After averaging career-highs in points (15.2), rebounds (5.1), and assists (4.7) per game, Jaquez has the second-best odds to win the award according to BetOnline, Chiang notes, behind only Keldon Johnson of the Spurs.
“I think, obviously, I didn’t want to have the year I had last year. But life happens,” Jaquez said. “The only thing you can do is get back up. I heard a great quote, ‘Failure isn’t falling down, failure is staying down.’ And I think just being able to come back and improve on my game, it would just be a great recognition of the hard work.”
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- Tyler Herro isn’t shying away from the disappointment of the Heat‘s 2025/26 regular season, but he’s ready to put it behind him and move forward, Chiang writes. “It’s been a long, weird, awkward season,” he said. “Different injuries, in and out. I started the season out, obviously, for kind of like an indefinite time, not really knowing when I was coming back. So it’s just like taking it one step at a time, one day at a time and one game at a time.” One goal is clear for the shooting guard. “I need to get out of the play-in,” he said.
- By suiting up in the Wizards‘ loss to the Cavaliers today, Bub Carrington became the first player since Karl-Anthony Towns to play in 164 straight games over his first two NBA seasons. Towns achieved the feat of not missing a game through the first two years from 2015-2017, and added a third straight year in 2017/18. Carrington played 38 minutes in the last game of the season, scoring 20 points and adding nine assists for Washington on Sunday.
- While the Magic‘s regular season ended in disappointment following a loss to the Celtics’ reserves, fourth-year player Jamal Cain has plenty to be happy about with his performance this year, Jason Beede writes for the Orlando Sentinel. Cain carved out a role for himself and earned his place in the rotation, as Beede details. “All the work that me and my trainer put in is actually coming to fruition,” Cain said. “Also, my teammates believe in me and give me confidence.” Cain’s deal includes a team option for the 2026/27 season.
Raptors Clinch Final Guaranteed Playoff Spot In East
The Raptors have clinched a playoff spot in the East after beating the Nets 136-101. This will be Toronto’s first playoff appearance in four years.
Scottie Barnes closed out his season with an 18-point triple-double, while RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram contributed 26 and 25 points, respectively.
“It’s a big relief,” Barnes said about reaching the playoffs for the first time since his rookie season, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet (Twitter link).
It wasn’t all good news for Toronto though. Immanuel Quickley left the game after just 17 minutes with right hamstring tightness, according to TSN’s Josh Lewenberg (Twitter link). Quickley has been battling plantar fasciitis in recent weeks, but avoiding the play-in will allow the point guard more time to get healthy before the Raptors’ first-round matchup.
Because they won on Sunday and the Hawks dropped their regular season finale to Miami, the Raptors will enter the postseason as the East’s No. 5 seed, with Atlanta slipping to No. 6.
The Sixers and Magic were also in the hunt for a top-six spot in the East entering Sunday, and while Toronto’s victory kept both teams in play-in territory, the 76ers finished their season with a win over Milwaukee to claim the No. 7 seed. Despite facing a Celtics team sitting their entire starting lineup, Orlando lost on Sunday to slip to No. 8 and will visit Philadelphia in the play-in tournament, with the No. 9 Hornets hosting the No. 10 Heat.
Ten Postseason Seeds Up For Grabs On Final Day Of Regular Season
While we’ve known which 20 NBA teams will be competing in the 2025/26 postseason for some time, 10 seeds are still in flux entering April 12, the final day of the 2025/26 regular season. Most importantly, three Eastern Conference teams are still vying for the final guaranteed playoff spot ahead of Sunday’s slate of games, which will see all 30 teams take the floor.
Here are the current playoff and play-in standings in both conferences, as well as where each team could finish, per the league (Twitter links).
Eastern Conference:
- Detroit Pistons (59-22)
- Boston Celtics (55-26)
- New York Knicks (53-28)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (51-30)
- Atlanta Hawks (46-35) — fifth or sixth
- Toronto Raptors (45-36) — fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth
- Orlando Magic (45-36) — sixth, seventh or eighth
- Philadelphia 76ers (44-37) — sixth, seventh or eighth
- Charlotte Hornets (43-38) — ninth or 10th
- Miami Heat (42-39) — ninth or 10th
Western Conference:
- Oklahoma City Thunder (64-17)
- San Antonio Spurs (62-19)
- Denver Nuggets (53-28) — third or fourth
- Los Angeles Lakers (52-29) — third or fourth
- Houston Rockets (51-30)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (48-33)
- Phoenix Suns (44-37)
- Portland Trail Blazers (41-40) — eighth or ninth
- Los Angeles Clippers (41-40) — eighth or ninth
- Golden State Warriors (37-44)
Notes: Teams in bold are locked in to their current seeds. A top-six seed ensures a guaranteed playoff spot, while the Nos. 7-10 teams will compete in the play-in tournament to determine the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference.
The most critical matchup Sunday is Brooklyn at Toronto. If the Raptors win, they can finish no worse than sixth place, securing the final guaranteed playoff berth.
The Hawks have ruled out most of their top players ahead of Sunday’s game at the Heat after securing a guaranteed playoff spot on Friday, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks. That matters for Miami, because if they beat Atlanta and the Hornets lose at New York, the Heat would move ahead of Charlotte due to a head-to-head tiebreaker. That said, the Knicks will be playing without four of their five starters tonight, and if the Hornets win, they stay at No. 9.
It would be shocking if the Raptors don’t win Sunday, since the tanking Nets have already ruled out nine players (a 10th is doubtful) and have an incentive to lose the game. We’ll get more into that shortly.
Still, if the Raptors do lose Sunday’s game, it opens the door for the Magic or Sixers to move up to No. 6. A Raptors loss combined with a Magic win at Boston — the Celtics are likely to be without their top-seven rotation members — would see Orlando earn the guaranteed playoff berth. The 76ers, who face Milwaukee, need to win and need Toronto and Orlando to lose to move up two spots.
If the Hawks, Raptors, Magic and Sixers all win, they will finish where they currently are in the standings.
In the West, the scenarios are more straightforward. If the Nuggets win at San Antonio, they stay at No. 3. If they lose and the Lakers beat the Jazz, Denver and Los Angeles will switch places in the standings.
The Trail Blazers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Clippers, so if they beat Sacramento tonight they will finish No. 8. The Clippers could move up if they beat Golden State and Portland loses to the Kings.
Lottery odds and traded draft picks
At the other end of the standings, the Wizards (17-64) have clinched the worst record in the league and thus have the top draft-lottery floor, notes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Washington has a 52.1% chance at landing a top-four pick in the 2026 draft lottery and 47.9% odds at No. 5, which is the worst selection the team can end up with.
The Pacers (19-62) and Nets (20-61) are also guaranteed to finish with bottom-three records and will have identical 52.1% odds at moving into the top four, including a 14.0% chance at No. 1 overall. If the Nets lose this evening and the Pacers beat Detroit, the two teams would tie and a coin flip would determine which team has the second-best lottery floor. The winner of the coin flip can finish no worse than sixth in the draft lottery, while the loser can finish no worse than seventh.
The Clippers will be hoping the Pacers lose tonight, since Indiana will send its 2026 first-round pick to L.A. if it lands outside the top four. The Pacers will retain the pick if it stays in its protected range (top four).
Several other lottery situations are still in flux entering Sunday. The Jazz and Kings are currently tied for the fourth-worst record (22-59), the Grizzlies and Mavericks are tied for the sixth-worst record (25-56), and the Pelicans (26-55) have a chance at making the latter situation a three-way tie. The Hawks will be hoping the Pelicans lose and Grizzlies and Mavericks win, since they control the better of New Orleans’ or Milwaukee’s first-rounders.
Utah will send its first-round pick to the Thunder if it’s not in the top eight. But even if the Jazz finish with the NBA’s fifth-worst record (or finish tied for the fourth-worst record and lose a coin flip), the odds of their pick landing at No. 9 would be minuscule (0.6%).
There’s a chance the Bulls (31-50) and Bucks (32-49) could have a coin flip for the ninth and tenth spots. It would require Chicago to win at Dallas and Milwaukee to lose at Philadelphia.
The four other lottery teams will be the four clubs that are eliminated in the play-in tournament.