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The Brooklyn Nets had a chance to lock in the sixth spot in the draft lottery standings with a loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. They did everything they could to ensure that outcome.
With all their starters ruled out, the Nets put out a rotation of G League call-ups and backups during a 120-109 loss. Reece Beekman and Drew Timme received their first NBA starts alongside Trendon Watford, Ziaire Williams and Keon Johnson. Dariq Whitehead, Tosan Evbuomwan, Maxwell Lewis and Tyson Etienne made up the bench unit.
Jalen Wilson and Tyrese Martin, two of five regular rotation members available for the game, logged DNP-CDs.
Nets one game away from clinching sixth spot in draft lottery standings
With Cam Thomas and Noah Clowney shut down for the season, Cam Johnson, D'Angelo Russell and Day'Ron Sharpe missed the game with injuries, while Nic Claxton got the night off for rest.
The loss put the Nets 3.5 games ahead of the Raptors for the sixth-best lottery odds with four remaining. Their magic number to clinch the spot is down to one. A Brooklyn loss or a Toronto win will clinch the sixth spot for the Nets.
The Nets' odds in the sixth spot would be as follows:
- 1st: 9.0%
- 2nd: 9.2%
- 3rd: 9.41%
- 4th: 9.62%
- 5th: 0%
- 6th: 8.62%
- 7th: 29.77%
- 8th: 20.55%
- 9th: 3.68%
- 10th: 0.15%
Brooklyn will have a 37.2 percent chance of jumping into the top four and a 58.94 percent chance of picking 6-8. The doomsday scenario of falling to ninth or 10th will have a 3.83 percent probability.
Duke's Cooper Flagg and Rutgers' Dylan Harper are viewed as the clear-cut top two picks in this year's class. Beyond that, there is far less consensus, with Rutgers' Ace Bailey and Baylor's VJ Edgecombe leading the second tier of prospects in many mocks.
The Nets will close the season this week with matchups against the New Orleans Pelicans, Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks.
