Washington Wizards Win No. 1 Pick as Tanking Pays Off for Three Teams

Washington Wizards Win No. 1 Pick as Tanking Pays Off for Three Teams

The Washington Wizards traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis and barely played them, sitting rookies and second-year players in fourth quarters and losing 26 of their final 27 games. It worked: the Wizards won the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery — the first time since the current lottery odds were introduced in 2019 that the team with the worst record actually landed the top spot.

CBS Sports' mock draft projects Washington to take BYU wing AJ Dybantsa, a 6'9" wing described as a potentially franchise-changing player, to join a young core that includes Alex Sarr and Tre Johnson. The Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies, who ran similar tank strategies, received the No. 2 and No. 3 picks respectively. The Memphis Grizzlies were just a couple of games out of the play-in when they traded Jackson to the Jazz and started tanking in earnest, going 5-28 the rest of the way. The Jazz were fined $500,000 for benching their stars — and were rewarded anyway.

The lottery system is also set to change next year. Under the proposed new system, the three worst teams would have just a 5.6% chance at the No. 1 pick, while teams finishing anywhere from the fourth- to tenth-worst record would carry the maximum 8.1% odds.

Gobble's Take: All three teams that tanked landed top-three picks, and the league's proposed new lottery rules are designed to make that harder — but those rules are not yet in effect.

Sources: Yahoo Sports NBA · CBS Sports NBA

Wembanyama Ejected for the First Time in His NBA Career — Spurs Series Now Tied 2-2

Early in the second quarter of Game 4 on Sunday, Victor Wembanyama grabbed a defensive rebound off a missed Spurs three-pointer and, as he turned to protect the ball, caught Minnesota's Naz Reid in the jaw with his elbow. The officials initially called it an offensive foul. The crowd in Minneapolis started chanting "kick him out, kick him out." After a video review, they got what they wanted: a Flagrant 2, automatic ejection, and a minimum $2,000 fine. Wembanyama, appearing genuinely baffled, turned to teammate Harrison Barnes and asked, "What does that mean?"

The 22-year-old French center finished with four points and four rebounds in just under 13 minutes before being sent to the locker room. Without him, the Spurs fell to the Timberwolves 114-109 in Game 4 of the Western Conference semi-finals, leveling the best-of-seven series at 2-2. De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper each scored 24 points to keep it close, but it wasn't enough. Reid, the player on the receiving end of the elbow, came off the bench to contribute 15 points and nine rebounds. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson walked a careful line afterward: he said he didn't condone the action, but added that he was glad Wembanyama "took matters into his own hands" because, in his view, the 7-foot-4 star isn't getting enough protection from referees. "I think it's disgusting," Johnson said of the officiating. Game 5 is Tuesday in San Antonio.

Gobble's Take: Wembanyama asked his teammate what an ejection meant — by the time this series is over, he'll have a PhD in it.

Source: Yahoo Sports NBA

The Knicks Have Won Seven Straight Playoff Games by an Average of 26.4 Points

Miles McBride made four three-pointers in 81 seconds. The Knicks led by 24 at halftime and went up by as many as 44 in the second half. New York beat Philadelphia in Game 4 to complete a 4-0 sweep in the second round and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. They have now won seven straight playoff games, each by an average of 26.4 points.

The run traces back to a loss in Atlanta, where McBride said the Knicks got "punched in the mouth" in Game 3 of the first round. "I feel like our mindset just shifted totally to 'take the game,'" McBride told SNY. Jalen Brunson said the Knicks have "continued to get better" as they have grown together.

New York now enters the Eastern Conference Finals awaiting the winner of the Detroit-Cleveland series.

Gobble's Take: Seven wins, seven blowouts — the Knicks swept Philadelphia 4-0 and have averaged a 26.4-point margin across their playoff run.

Sources: Yahoo Sports NBA · Yahoo Sports NBA

Cavs Are 3.5-Point Favorites in Game 4, Trailing Detroit 2-1 in Second Round

The Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to climb out of a difficult spot against the Detroit Pistons, who lead the second-round series 2-1. Only 34 of the 471 teams that have ever fallen behind 2-0 in an NBA playoff series have come back to win; the Cavs are trying to become the 35th. Winning Game 4 and evening the series would go a long way in helping them do so.

Cleveland is a 3.5-point favorite in Game 4. The favored team has won all three games in this series, covering the spread each time. Still, the Cavs face long odds to advance — FanDuel has them at +650 to come out of the East, behind the Pistons at +200. The New York Knicks, who swept the Philadelphia 76ers, are the -150 favorites to win the Eastern Conference.

Gobble's Take: The Cavs are favored in Game 4, but they trail the series 2-1 and have dropped all five road games this postseason — a climb remains ahead regardless of tonight's result.

Source: Yahoo Sports NBA

In Case You Missed It

Yesterday's top stories:

• Thunder One Win From Closing a One-Sided Series
• Spurs Lead Timberwolves 2-1 Heading Into Game 4 Today
• Pistons Lead Series 2-1 Ahead of Cleveland Return After Mitchell's 35-Point Win