Jazz Lose Draft Tiebreaker To Nuggets, Will Pick 29th
Apr 22, 2024, 5:27 PM
Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge speaks (Credit: Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
(Credit: Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz will own the 29th pick in the first round of the NBA Draft after a tiebreaker was held on Monday.
The Jazz own the pick courtesy of the Oklahoma City Thunder, a selection they got in February’s trade that sent Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji to the Toronto Raptors.
The Thunder and the Denver Nuggets both finished the season with identical 57-25 records, leading to Monday’s tiebreaker.
Oklahoma City lost the 50-50 chance, handing the Nuggets to the 28th pick, while the Jazz will draft 29th.
NBA Draft tiebreaker results:
No. 28 pick: Denver Nuggets
No. 29 pick: Oklahoma City Thunder (pick will be conveyed to Utah)
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 22, 2024
Jazz Have History Of Poor Tiebreaker Luck In Draft
When it comes to the NBA Draft, tiebreakers traditionally haven’t gone the Jazz’s way.
The Jazz were last involved in a draft tiebreaker in 2020 involving both the Thunder and the Houston Rockets. Not only did the Jazz lose one tiebreaker, but they lost two, falling behind both Oklahoma and Houston in the draft order.
In 2018, the Jazz were featured in a four-way tie with the Thunder, Pelicans, and Pacers. The Jazz found some luck drafting second among the group, while the Thunder picked first.
In a surprise to nobody who has followed their history of tiebreaker luck, the @utahjazz drop a spot in the draft and will pick 29th (via the OKC Thunder) while the @nuggets will select 28th. #TakeNote | @kslsports pic.twitter.com/nllMGSw8kf
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 22, 2024
The Jazz were in another four-way tie in 2017, and again fell to second behind the Los Angeles Clippers, but ahead of the Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In 2015, the Jazz lost a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Indiana Pacers dropping to the 12th pick in the lottery instead of the 11th.
Perhaps the Jazz’s worst tiebreaker luck came in 2012 when the Golden State Warriors won a coin toss with the Toronto Raptors for the seventh pick.
Related: What Happens If Jazz Win The Draft Lottery?
Had the Raptors won, the Warriors’ top-seven protected pick would have slipped to eight, and belonged to the Jazz.
The last time the Jazz won a tiebreaker outright was in 2010 when they beat out both Atlanta and Denver for the 23rd pick.
Ironically, the Jazz owed the pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves from a previous trade.
The Jazz also own the eighth-best odds of winning the draft lottery on May 12, and are owed the 32nd overall pick via the Washington Wizards.
The NBA Draft will be held over two nights on June 26 and 27.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
