The NBA draft lottery is one in every of the most consequential days of the NBA calendar. Every 12 months, the backside quarter of the league seems to be ahead to the day when the league attracts ping-pong balls, from behind closed doorways, to find out the draft order. After a protracted season of shedding, and maybe some tanking, the groups’ destiny comes all the way down to … luck, the bounce of a ball.
Subscribe to learn this story ad-free
Get limitless entry to ad-free articles and unique content material.
Our Rohan Nadkarni was inside the secret drawing room as the ping-pong balls had been drawn and takes you behind the scenes of what occurred.
Also, Erling Haaland of Norway is our World Cup highlight right this moment. For extra NBA and soccer protection, keep tuned to The Sports Desk publication and the NBC News website.
NBA Draft Lottery
Inside the drawing room, each of the 14 lottery teams has a consultant. There are varied officers from the NBA, and the media is seated to the facet of the plastic drum from which the lottery mixtures will likely be drawn.
Inside a sealed briefcase are 14 ping-pong balls, numbered 1 to 14. Those ping-pong balls are then positioned in a plastic drum designed by Smartplay International, an organization that makes a speciality of devising lottery machines.
There is an official timekeeper who purposefully faces away from the drum to keep away from any notion of bias. After the drum is began up — and the balls begin flying round inside it — the timekeeper will let 20 seconds go earlier than indicating it’s time to attract. After the first ping-pong ball is chosen, one other will likely be chosen each 10 seconds.
The Washington Wizards won the first pick with the mixture of numbers 4, 2, 1 and 13. Team President Michael Winger, who carried a photograph of his household for good luck, was in the room for the drawing and remained stoic as his staff was known as out for the No. 1 choice.
This was simply an excerpt. For the remainder of our story inside the NBA draft lottery drawing room, read here.
NBA Playoffs
In Round 2 of the NBA playoffs, two collection have been snoozers — the New York Knicks swept the Philadelphia 76ers in 4 video games, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are up 3-0 on the Los Angeles Lakers. But the different two may go the distance, notably the matchup out West between the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs and No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves.
Over the weekend, the Spurs and Timberwolves break up their two matchups to tie the collection at 2-2. On Friday, Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio to victory with an exhilarating efficiency, scoring 39 factors on 72% taking pictures whereas grabbing 15 rebounds and blocking 5 photographs.
Throughout the collection, the Timberwolves have finished all they’ll to gradual Wembanyama down, bumping, grabbing and usually being as bodily as doable, making an attempt to defend the 7-foot-4 Frenchman, whose solely weak spot, maybe, is his slight body.
Last evening, throughout Game 4, Wembanyama’s frustration boiled over. In the second quarter, as two Minnesota defenders jostled him, he swung his elbow and struck the Timberwolves’ Naz Reid in the neck space. Wembanyama was ejected after logging solely 12 minutes.
Afterward, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson blamed the referees for not defending Wembanyama by calling fouls when the play obtained bodily.
“I’m glad he took matters into his own hands,” Johnson informed reporters. “Not in terms of hitting Naz Reid — by all means, being very clear about that. I’m glad Naz Reid is OK, and I didn’t want him to elbow him, but he’s going to have to protect himself if [the referees are] not.”
With Wembanyama out, Minnesota eked out a 114-109 win behind a star efficiency from Anthony Edwards, who scored 36 factors in 40 minutes.
World Cup Countdown
Leading as much as the 2026 World Cup, we’re counting down 26 gamers to observe. Today’s entry is Norway’s Erling Haaland.
In his day job enjoying for Manchester City of the Premier League, Haaland nearly by no means performs the position of underdog.
Backed by the Gulf state of Abu Dhabi, City has huge assets to signal the world’s finest gamers and has received the Premier League, the world’s high home league, 4 of the final 5 years. Haaland, a 6-foot-5 striker who pulls his blond hair right into a signature tight ponytail, has been central to that success, scoring greater than 100 objectives in 4 seasons.
Yet throughout Norway’s first World Cup look since 1998, Haaland will attempt to proceed his scoring binges whereas as a substitute making an attempt to take down the powerhouses. As by far the most completed Norwegian participant, Haaland acknowledged final fall that serving to Norway qualify was “a lot on my shoulders.”
“I’ve been feeling the pressure ever since I came to the national team in 2019,” Haaland stated in November. “Honestly, I felt more pressure then than now because I wasn’t that good to handle the pressure. Now I’m better. I think I’m an expert.”
That’s good for Norway, as a result of advancing out of the group stage towards Iraq, world No. 14-ranked Senegal and No. 1-ranked France would require Haaland to once more shoulder the burden of being the most potent risk to attain whereas additionally creating openings for teammates.
His performances throughout World Cup qualifying shouldn’t be taken as a predictor of future efficiency, however Haaland was undeniably prolific whereas scoring 16 objectives in eight video games.
For Haaland, there’s additionally a private connection to creating this match. His father, Alf-Inge Haaland, performed for Norway throughout the 1994 World Cup, which was additionally hosted in the U.S.
“To be able to go to the U.S. and play the World Cup there is truly something special, and it’s going to be incredible,” Haaland told CBS Sports in December. “I’ll have goosebumps. Maybe I will cry when they sing the national anthem.”
Friday’s entry was Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Read about him here.
What We’re Watching
The Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers sq. off once more tonight. Aside from the Spurs and Timberwolves, that is our solely hope for drama in Round 2 of the NBA playoffs. Detroit took the first two video games, and Cleveland responded with a giant win in Game 3, led by Donovan Mitchell, who scored 35 factors. Can Mitchell stick with it in Game 4?
Then in the nightcap, is that this the last recreation of LeBron James’ profession? Maybe not. But James is 41 years outdated and his Lakers discover themselves down 3-0 towards the Thunder.
All occasions are Eastern:
- 8 p.m.: No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers, on NBC/Peacock
- 10:30 p.m.: No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers, on Amazon Prime
That’s it for now! We’ll be again tomorrow.