NEW YORK — The 76ers keep losing, but also moved closer to increasing their draft lottery odds.
Their ninth consecutive defeat, this time a 105-91 decision to the New York Knicks Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, dropped the Sixers’ record to 23-53 to create more separation between them and the Brooklyn Nets (25-51) for the NBA’s fifth-worst record. It also moved the Sixers closer to the New Orleans Pelicans (21-54) for the fourth-worst record. The Nets and Pelicans were both off Tuesday.
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Capturing the best possible draft lottery odds is imperative for the Sixers to salvage something out of this miserable 2024-25 season, which has six regular-season games remaining. If their pick lands at seventh or lower in May’s draft lottery, it will go to the Oklahoma City Thunder because of the 2020 Al Horford trade.
If the Sixers finish with the NBA’s fifth-worst record, they will have a 64% chance of keeping that selection. If they move “up” to the fourth-worst record, those odds increase to 81.1%. If they “fall” to the sixth-worst record, those odds tumble to 45.8%.
This is considered to be an excellent draft, headlined by do-it-all Duke forward Cooper Flagg. Rutgers dynamic point guard Dylan Harper and shot-making wing Ace Bailey are also projected as high prospects. So are explosive Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe, crafty Illinois guard Kasparas Jakučionis, and two of Flagg’s Duke teammates, sharpshooting wing Kon Knueppel and intimidating center Khaman Maluach.
The stretch run initially appeared to be a “battle” between the Sixers, Nets, and Toronto Raptors for the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-worst records. But the Raptors had won four games in a row before losing at the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, while the Nets posted two consecutive victories entering Thursday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Pelicans beat the Charlotte Hornets Sunday and are 4-6 in their last 10 outings entering Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
» READ MORE: Kon Knueppel demonstrates why he is generating draft lottery buzz in Duke’s Elite Eight rout of Alabama
The Sixers have the easiest remaining schedule among this group of teams, per Tankathon. But that does not take injuries or scheduling quirks into account — or which teams have more incentive to win down the stretch.
Of the Sixers’ remaining opponents, the Milwaukee Bucks, Timberwolves, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, and Bulls are all fighting for postseason positioning. Some teams with better regular-season records across the league, meanwhile, could become locked into playoff positioning and rest prominent players in their final games. And the Sixers’ worst opponent remaining, the Washington Wizards, beat the Sixers last week.
The Sixers have already shut down stars Joel Embiid and Paul George due to injuries. Heavy contributors Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr., who are also nursing nagging injuries, have not played in more than two weeks. Tuesday night, Quentin Grimes (26 points, five assists, three steals) was again the Sixers’ leading scorer in his latest matchup against his former team.
The Knicks, meanwhile, have been locked into the Eastern Conference’s third seed for the bulk of the season. But they continue to navigate life without former Villanova star Jalen Brunson, who has been out since March 7 with a sprained ankle but expects to be back for the playoffs. Fellow former Villanova standout Mikal Bridges totaled 14 points on 6-for-16 shooting Tuesday, while Josh Hart added nine points, six assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
