The Utah Jazz won a crucial tiebreaker over the Sacramento Kings to claim the No. 4 position heading into the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery. The New Orleans Pelicans also prevailed over the Dallas Mavericks for the No. 7 slot. These results were determined after tiebreakers held on Monday.
The NBA finalized the pre-lottery draft order following tiebreakers on Monday. The Jazz edged out the Kings for the fourth-worst record position, despite losing nine of their last 10 games. The Kings, who won three of their final 10, had beaten the Golden State Warriors in their penultimate game but fell short in the tiebreaker. Both teams now share identical lottery odds: a 45.2% chance for a top-four pick and 11.5% for the No. 1 overall selection. Their odds are split evenly due to the tie rules. Sacramento's pick could drop as low as No. 9, with a 0.6% chance there and 8.5% for No. 8. The Pelicans secured No. 7 over the Mavericks, who now have a 29% top-four chance and 6.7% for No. 1. Dallas does not control its own first-round pick until 2031. The Atlanta Hawks hold the better of the Pelicans' and Milwaukee Bucks' picks; the Bucks enter at No. 10 with 13.9% top-four odds and 3% for No. 1. Other tiebreakers included the Phoenix Suns over the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers for No. 16 (to Memphis), Raptors over Hawks for No. 19, Rockets over Cavaliers for No. 22, and Knicks over Lakers for No. 24. The draft lottery takes place May 10 in Chicago.
