Technically speaking, the Oklahoma City Thunder won its game against the Orlando Magic, 118-102. But in reality, this was one of the biggest losses of the season due to the reverse standings implications.
Thanks to a 10-game losing streak, the Thunder were able to make up a lot of ground and essentially lock up top-four lottery odds. The losing streak combined with the fact that the Magic and Detroit Pistons started winning games recently created a real possibility of the Thunder getting important top-three lottery odds. In fact, if the Thunder would’ve lost this game, it would’ve been tied for the second-best lottery odds with the Pistons after Detroit blew out the Atlanta Hawks.
Alas, the Thunder come up short of reaching the elusive top-three lottery odds. Now, that doesn’t mean that it’s over — the Thunder are just one game back from the third spot with nine games left in the regular season. But for the Thunder to be so close to getting top-two lottery odds — even if it’s for one night — and to not get it is a tough pill to swallow for the fanbase who are tank enthusiasts.
