Jazz See Major Lottery Odds Shift With Hornets' Latest Win

The Utah Jazz saw a nice change to their lottery odds over the weekend thanks to the recent results in the box score from the Charlotte Hornets.

While the Hornets have had their fair share of hiccups across the 2024-25 campaign, they managed to take care of business on Saturday night vs. the Brooklyn Nets in a narrow 102-105 victory, effectively helping the Jazz out in a major way during the process.

The win for the Hornets now makes their 15th of the year, tying up with the Jazz in the league standings and giving both the second-best odds to land the number-one pick in the draft lottery for the time being.

While the second and third-worst teams in the NBA do have the same 14.0% odds to land the top spot, and even the same odds for the first four selections on the board, the goal for the Jazz down the stretch run this season will be to maximize their place within the lottery rankings.

Utah being the second-place team in the lottery means a worst-case scenario places them with the 6th pick, compared to the 7th pick which could be acquired with a third-place finish. It may look like a small factor on paper, but those numbers could play a huge factor in where the Jazz's first-round pick ends up falling.

Right now, the 13-49 Washington Wizards find themselves as the leader in the clubhouse to secure the prized number one odds, but the stage will also be set for the Jazz to continue making headway with their lottery placement as well.

Utah has the fifth toughest remaining strength of schedule based on opposing win percentage, with meetings set against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and two vs. the Boston Celtics with less than 20 games left in the season.

As for the Wizards, they'll have the 7th-easiest schedule moving forward for their respective season, and with a 1.5 game lead on Utah, the Jazz have a golden opportunity to make the necessary strides to catch up.

There's a solid chunk left to play out in the Jazz's season, but if things were to end today, this team would be in a good spot come May 12th's draft lottery. Time will tell if Utah can keep the momentum moving forward in hopes of getting in the best position ahead of this offseason.

Follow Utah Jazz On SI on Facebook and Twitter/X and Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live streams!

Recommended Articles