Yahoo Sports: Everything You Need for the Latest Updates

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Yahoo Sports: Everything You Need for the Latest Updates

With only 17 games left in the season, let's take a look at the Sixers' current standing in the NBA draft lottery.

The NBA draft lottery was surely top of mind for just about anyone who watched the Sixers’ loss Wednesday night to the Raptors.

At this point, a rundown on the Sixers’ draft lottery situation certainly feels fitting.

Could the Sixers still make the play-in tournament?

Yes, but their odds are shrinking.

As of Thursday morning, the Sixers sat five games behind the 10th-seeded Bulls. According to Basketball Reference’s playoff probabilities report, the Sixers had a 95.7 percent chance of missing the play-in.

What’s the lottery odds picture?

The Sixers’ first-round pick is top-six protected because of the Al Horford-Danny Green trade in 2020. Any lottery result lower than the sixth pick would lead to the Sixers’ first-rounder this year conveying to the Thunder.

For the teams closest to the Sixers, here’s how things stood. (Of course, a better record corresponds with worse lottery odds.)

Tied for fifth: Sixers: 22-43

Tied for fifth: Nets: 22-43

Seventh: Raptors: 23-43

What are the exact percentages for different lottery slots?

Tankathon has a complete breakdown here.

If the Sixers finished with the fifth-best odds, that would put their chances at:

No. 1 pick: 10.5 percent

No. 2: 10.5 percent

No. 3: 10.6 percent

No. 4: 10.5 percent

No. 5: 2.2 percent

No. 6: 19.6 percent

That all adds up to a 63.9 percent chance of the team retaining its pick.

The sixth-best odds would mean a 45.8 percent chance. The seventh-best odds would mean a 31.9 percent chance.

Regardless, the Sixers will hold their own (early) second-round selection.

How do tiebreakers work?

Ties are broken through random drawings.

The Sixers last year won a tiebreaker with the Pacers, Lakers and Magic, which gave them the 16th pick. The team used it to draft Jared McCain.

What’s the rest of the schedule look like?

The Raptors’ remaining schedule is the easiest in the NBA:

Raptors: 38.2 opponents’ winning percentage

Sixers: 47.1 opponents’ winning percentage (Sixth-easiest)

Nets: 49.6 opponents’ winning percentage (12th-easiest)

Anything higher than the fifth-best lottery odds seems unlikely for the Sixers, although not impossible. The next team to pass lottery-wise would be the 18-48 Pelicans, who have the 10th-hardest remaining strength of schedule. New Orleans did win Tuesday vs. the Clippers and got a 22-point triple-double from Zion Williamson.