Downtrodden Timberwolves win first pick in delayed NBA draft
The NBA draft lottery was delayed three months. The Minnesota Timberwolves certainly are feeling like the wait was worthwhile.
The Timberwolves won the lottery Thursday night, giving them the No. 1 pick. The lottery was conducted virtually because of the pandemic, with NBA officials doing the actual draw in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Golden State holds the No. 2 pick, Charlotte got the No. 3 pick and Chicago will pick fourth. The Hornets and Bulls each bucked the odds to move into the upper echelon.
The Timberwolves were 1945 this season, marking the 14th time in 15 years that they failed to make the playoffs and finished with a losing record. It will be Minnesota’s first time holding the No. 1 pick since 2015.
Chicago had a 32% chance of moving into the top four spots, Charlotte about a 26% chance. They leapfrogged four teams that had better topfour odds — Cleveland, Atlanta, Detroit and New York.
For now, the delayed draft — originally set for late June
— is scheduled for Oct. 16.
Playoff games
Bucks 111, Magic 96: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points and 20 rebounds and Milwaukee rode a fast start to beat Orlando and tie the Eastern Conference first-round series at 1-1. The Bucks opened the playoffs by losing, 122-110, to Orlando. Milwaukee bounced back Thursday, building a 23-point lead in the first half, though Orlando got the margin down to nine in the fourth quarter.
Heat 109, Pacers 100:
Goran Dragic had a little simple advice for Duncan Robinson before Game 2: Just shoot. Robinson listened, hitting his first six shots — all from 3-point range. He finished with 24 points and Miami beat Indiana 109-100 for a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference series.
Rockets 111, Thunder 98: James Harden had 21 points and nine assists and Houston made 19 of an NBA-record 56 3-point attempts to beat Oklahoma City for a 2-0 lead in the first-round Western series.