The Minnesota Timberwolves Won The NBA Draft Lottery, The Knicks Did Not

Odds are nothing more than chance.

While regular-season records of the Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers ensured they had a better possibility of winning Tuesday’s Draft Lottery than the league’s other non-playoff teams, the final bounce of those ping-pong balls doesn’t always reflect that reality. Remember, only three teams with the highest probability of winning the number-one pick have gone on to do so since the weighted lottery system was introduced in 1990.

For the first time since 2004, though, the odds finally won out. Below are results of tonight’s 2015 NBA Draft Lottery.

*Each team’s original chance to win the lottery is listed in parentheses

14. Oklahoma City Thunder (0.5%)

13. Phoenix Suns (0.6%)

12. Utah Jazz (0.7%)

11. Indiana Pacers (0.8%)

10. Miami Heat (1.1%)

9. Charlotte Hornets (1.7%)

8. Detroit Pistons (2.8%)

7. Denver Nuggets (4.3%)

6. Sacramento Kings (6.3%)

5. Orlando Magic (8.8%)

4. New York Knicks (19.9%)

3. Philadelphia 76ers (15.6%)

2. Los Angeles Lakers (11.9%)

1. Minnesota Timberwolves (25%)

(Via NBA.com)

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