The San Antonio Spurs finished the 2023 season tied with the Houston Rockets for the second worst record in the NBA at 22-60. That necessitated a tiebreaker scenario, since the order affects this year’s NBA Draft Lottery probabilities. Ultimately, it came down to a coin flip on Monday afternoon.
The Spurs lost.
As a result, San Antonio is considered to have the third-worst record in the NBA, and they will pick no lower than No. 7 overall. The Rockets are considered to have the second-worst record and will pick no lower than No. 6 overall. This does not affect the Spurs’ probability of landing the No. 1 overall pick. Here is a breakdown of the draft pick probabilities for Detroit, Houston and San Antonio:
| Draft Pick | San Antonio | Houston | Detroit |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | 14% | 14% | 14% |
| No. 2 | 13.4% | 13.4% | 13.4% |
| No. 3 | 12.7% | 12.7% | 12.7% |
| No. 4 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| No. 5 | 14.8% | 27.8% | 47.9% |
| No. 6 | 26% | 20% | -- |
| No. 7 | 7% | -- | -- |
The stakes in this year’s draft are high with 7-foot-2 French superstar Victor Wembanyama projected as the consensus No. 1 overall pick. The last time San Antonio won the draft lottery was in 1997, and they used the No. 1 overall pick to select franchise legend Tim Duncan.
The NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for Tuesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. The 2023 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, June 22 at the Barclays Center.