The Indiana Pacers emerged victorious over their longtime rivals the New York Knicks by a score of 141-136. Although this would normally be cause for celebration, it proved to be a bittersweet victory for the Pacers as it cost them precious odds in the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery.

Despite trailing by 16 points at one point in the game, the Pacers rallied and mounted a remarkable, if short-sighted, comeback.  The fourth quarter proved to be decisive, as the Pacers opened with a 13-5 run and never looked back. Led in scoring by rookie Bennedict Mathurin, who finished with 26 points and a career-high 6 assists, they avoided a season sweep by the Knicks.

Over the past few weeks, the Pacers have made roster decisions consistent with a team angling for better lottery odds. This week they turned it up a notch by shutting down not only Haliburton and Turner, but also McConnell and Jalen Smith. Today, these machinations proved ineffective, as players who were expected to help them tank, such as George Hill and Gabe York, turned in strong performances.

As a result, the Pacers lost about a 5-8% chance at selecting in the top 4 of the draft. While they won the game, it's hard to feel that they didn't lose the day.

Coin Flip SZN

The Pacers will be involved in three coin flips to determine the order of their draft picks.

As Tony East notes, the NBA does not assign lottery odds by position but by record. Therefore we'll have effectively the same odds as the Wizards in the lottery regardless who wins the flip.

Tagged in:

Recap