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The struggles continue for the Memphis Grizzlies.
A stretch of games against teams with comparable records has produced no wins. The latest came in a 132-107 loss to the Chicago Bulls on March 16 at United Center.
The Bulls (28-40) are just one spot behind the Grizzlies in the current draft standings, but the way they dominated in the second half — outscoring Memphis 71-50 after halftime — made the gap look much larger.
As the losses pile up, so does the frustration of watching the Grizzlies (23-44). But if there’s any silver lining with a month left, it’s their draft positioning.
There isn’t much hope left for this season; there’s still reason for optimism about the future.
On one hand, losing to a Bulls team that didn’t win a game during the entire month of February is frustrating. On the other, Memphis created more separation from Chicago in the draft order.
Here’s where the Grizzlies stand.
An eight-game losing streak hasn’t moved the Grizzlies up the standings; they still hold the eighth-best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick.
They have the longest losing streak in the Western Conference, which has helped them gain ground in the reverse standings while further eliminating any realistic chance of reaching the play-in tournament.
The NBA draft lottery is scheduled for May 10. Memphis is likely to enter that night with no worse than the eighth-best odds of securing the top pick.
The Grizzlies trail the New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks by one game in the lottery order (once the top four teams are determined by the drawing, lottery teams five through 14 will pick in reverse order of their regular-season record). At eighth, Memphis has a 26.3% chance to land in the top four and 6% odds at the No. 1 pick. Those numbers jump to 34.5% and 8.2% at seventh. At sixth, the odds sit at 34.8% and 8.3%.
New Orleans has gone 8-4 in its past 12 games. Guard Dejounte Murray’s season debut has helped spark the Pelicans, who appear more likely to finish with a better record than Memphis. They also don’t own their first-round pick (going to Atlanta), giving them little incentive to lose games down the stretch.
Dallas beat the Grizzlies last week and also pulled off an unlikely weekend win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Those victories allowed Memphis to close the gap. The teams are tied in the win column, but the Mavericks have two more losses.
Memphis went 3-1 against Dallas this season, meaning the Mavericks would own the tiebreaker for the higher draft pick.
The Grizzlies have the NBA’s toughest remaining schedule based on opponents’ strength of record. That includes multiple games against the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets, Nos. 4 and 5, respectively, in the Western Conference.
Dallas isn’t far behind the Grizzlies, with the third-toughest schedule, which could set up a close race between the two teams in the reverse standings.
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies' NBA draft lottery odds after loss to Chicago Bulls
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A stretch of games against teams with comparable records has produced no wins. The latest came in a 132-107 loss to the Chicago Bulls on March 16 at United Center.
The Bulls (28-40) are just one spot behind the Grizzlies in the current draft standings, but the way they dominated in the second half — outscoring Memphis 71-50 after halftime — made the gap look much larger.
As the losses pile up, so does the frustration of watching the Grizzlies (23-44). But if there’s any silver lining with a month left, it’s their draft positioning.
There isn’t much hope left for this season; there’s still reason for optimism about the future.
On one hand, losing to a Bulls team that didn’t win a game during the entire month of February is frustrating. On the other, Memphis created more separation from Chicago in the draft order.
Here’s where the Grizzlies stand.
Grizzlies draft lottery probability
An eight-game losing streak hasn’t moved the Grizzlies up the standings; they still hold the eighth-best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick.
They have the longest losing streak in the Western Conference, which has helped them gain ground in the reverse standings while further eliminating any realistic chance of reaching the play-in tournament.
The NBA draft lottery is scheduled for May 10. Memphis is likely to enter that night with no worse than the eighth-best odds of securing the top pick.
Teams to watch
The Grizzlies trail the New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks by one game in the lottery order (once the top four teams are determined by the drawing, lottery teams five through 14 will pick in reverse order of their regular-season record). At eighth, Memphis has a 26.3% chance to land in the top four and 6% odds at the No. 1 pick. Those numbers jump to 34.5% and 8.2% at seventh. At sixth, the odds sit at 34.8% and 8.3%.
New Orleans has gone 8-4 in its past 12 games. Guard Dejounte Murray’s season debut has helped spark the Pelicans, who appear more likely to finish with a better record than Memphis. They also don’t own their first-round pick (going to Atlanta), giving them little incentive to lose games down the stretch.
Dallas beat the Grizzlies last week and also pulled off an unlikely weekend win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Those victories allowed Memphis to close the gap. The teams are tied in the win column, but the Mavericks have two more losses.
Memphis went 3-1 against Dallas this season, meaning the Mavericks would own the tiebreaker for the higher draft pick.
Schedule outlook
The Grizzlies have the NBA’s toughest remaining schedule based on opponents’ strength of record. That includes multiple games against the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets, Nos. 4 and 5, respectively, in the Western Conference.
Dallas isn’t far behind the Grizzlies, with the third-toughest schedule, which could set up a close race between the two teams in the reverse standings.
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies' NBA draft lottery odds after loss to Chicago Bulls
Continue reading...
