Wolves win tiebreaker with Knicks for 6th-best lottery odds

The basketball gods continue to spit on the New York Knicks.

The Minnesota Timberwolves won a draft-lottery tiebreaker over the Knicks on Tuesday, giving them the better lottery slot of the two teams that finished the season with matching 31-51 records. Unless one of the the teams jumps into the top three in the lottery, the Wolves will pick sixth in this summer's draft, and the Knicks will pick seventh.

That was the only lottery scenario that was decided with the tiebreaking draw, but several draft positions outside the lottery were settled. The Knicks weren't the only ones who got stiffed by the ping-pong balls, either. The Portland Trail Blazers lost all three of their tiebreakers.

Here's how the rest of the scenarios shook out:

The Chicago Bulls won the right to the 15th pick, with the Blazers taking No. 16.

The Milwaukee Bucks won the 17-18 tiebreaker over the Indiana Pacers.

The Blazers, who own the Memphis Grizzlies' first-rounder (via the Nuggets, from the Mason Plumlee trade), settled for the 20th pick after being outdrawn for 19th by the Atlanta Hawks.

Finally, in the four-team tiebreaker between the Blazers (via the Cavaliers), Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic (via the Clippers), and Utah Jazz, the Raptors won the best pick at No. 23. (They were assured of getting the higher pick between theirs and Orlando's). After Toronto, it went Jazz (24th), Magic (25th), and Blazers (26th).

The NBA draft lottery will take place on May 16. The draft itself will take place on June 22.