OKC Thunder's Draft Lottery Odds Revealed with Suns' Win

Oklahoma City's lottery odds were cemented with Phoenix's win over Golden State.

Mar 30, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault watches his team play against the Detroit Pistons during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

On Friday evening, the Suns and Warriors faced off in the NBA’s final Play-In game, effectively kicking off the Playoffs.

Phoenix would eventually come out on top, coasting to a win behind Jalen Green’s big fourth-quarter scoring stretch, in addition to improved passing from its long-time star in Devin Booker.

With the Suns win, Oklahoma City will officially be facing off against Phoenix in the first round, taking on all of Booker, Green, Dillon Brooks and plenty more to kick off their postseason run. 

There were also draft implications for the game for all parties involved. The Warriors’ season is now done, with the team grabbing a lottery pick for the first time since 2021. Phoenix will finish outside of the lottery, having made the postseason alongside the Trail Blazers.

The Thunder earned a lottery pick via the Clippers’ exit on Wednesday, but its standing was up to Friday’s game. It will now officially sit at No. 12, with just a 7% chance to land within the top-four. It had the chance to go as high as No. 11 with a Warriors’ win, but ultimately didn’t fall that way.

OKC will have an 86.1% chance to grab the No. 12 pick, with just a 6.7% chance at landing No. 13.

Regardless, the Thunder continue to play with house money via the Clippers’ trade. They stand with the best record in the league, and the odds-on favorite to repeat as NBA champions. They have a soon-to-be MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as well as an All-Star talent in Jalen Williams that was drafted via a lottery pick send from the Clippers back in 2022.

Anything at the NBA Draft is just icing on the cake for Oklahoma City, who will be using draft selections to grab cost-controlled talent to place alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and star center Chet Holmgren.

Even more, the 2026 NBA Draft is said to be the best in some time, offering three No. 1-level talents at the top in Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and AJ Dybantsa. While OKC will have an ultra-slim chance at landing those players, that will only push other talent further down, leading to more like Yaxel Lendeborg, Bennett Stirtz, Allen Graves and more falling into their range. 

The Thunder will also pick at No. 17 or 18 via the 76ers, who earned their way into the postseason in the Eastern Conference's first Play-In bout.

The Thunder will tip off against the Suns on Sunday, April 19 at 2:30 p.m. CT. NBA Playoffs games will tip off tomorrow starting with Celtics-76ers at 12 p.m. CT.