The Knicks locked up 11th-best NBA Draft lottery odds thanks to Pelicans’ play-in win

The New York Knicks played quite well to end the season, and as a result plummeted down near the bottom of the NBA Draft Lottery. There was still a bit of hope, however. The Knicks finished with a better record than two Western Conference play-in teams, the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Pelicans. If one of those teams were to make the actual playoffs, they would no longer qualify for the lottery, and the Knicks would jump from No. 12 to No. 11.

With that in mind, let’s all congratulate the Pelicans for their 105-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. That victor means the Pelicans are in the playoffs, and the Knicks will at the very least be picking one spot higher in the draft. The Knicks also jump from a paltry 7.1% chance of picking in the top 4 to a robust 9.4%!

We did it! Eleventh place! Given the front office’s recent success in the draft, I’m legitimately excited.