Report: NBA puts forward new “3-2-1” expanded lottery proposal to curb tanking

Adam Silver and the NBA’s quixotic quest to end tanking reached a new level of complexity on Tuesday when the league unveiled a new plan to the 30 league GMs on a conference call.

This new “3-2-1” system — named after how many ping pong balls each team would get, depending upon their finish — would expand the lottery to 16 teams, according to reports by Shams Charania at ESPN and Sam Amick at The Athletic. Here is how the new system would break down:

• The teams with the three worst records in the league would fall into a “relegation zone” and be penalized by only getting two lottery balls, not three like other teams that missed the playoffs. Those three teams would have a 5.4% chance at the No. 1 pick, and in this system could fall no further than 12th. Meaning the team that was the worst the season before could well draft 10th, 11th or 12th.

• Teams that missed the playoffs but were not one of the worst three — teams four through 10 at the bottom of the standings — would get three lottery balls and an 8.1% chance at the No. 1 pick.

• Teams that finish as the No. 9 and 10 seeds in each conference will each get two lottery balls.

• Teams that lose the 7-8 play-in for each conference get one lottery ball (2.7% chance of landing the No. 1 pick).

• Teams cannot win the No. 1 pick in consecutive years or have three consecutive top-five picks.

• Going forward, teams could not protect picks in slots 12 through 15.

• The NBA would have expanded authority to regulate and discipline tanking teams and potentially remove some of their lottery balls.

• This system would expire in 2029, at which time it could be extended, modified or scrapped entirely.

This or any new system put in place would need to be approved by a vote of the NBA owners, which is scheduled for May 28 at the Board of Governors meeting. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, “the key points of the framework have a majority of the support from teams.”

Is it a good plan?

The fact that it took me eight bullet points to try to explain the system says a lot.

Look at it this way: If this new proposed system were in place this season, the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder (which controls the LA Clippers pick), Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets all would have the exact same lottery odds as the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings.

Is that the point of the draft?

The league’s argument for its plan is a good one is that it incentivizes its worst teams to win and avoid the “relegation zone,” so teams will not all-out tank. The league has been focused on that exact point (seemingly almost exclusively).

The problem with that theory is that these are not quality teams choosing to lose, they are bad teams — some certainly trying to be worse to improve lottery odds, but not good to start with — that need good players to turn things around. This proposal makes it harder for those struggling teams to get the best players.

All of this would change future lotteries for which picks were traded, assuming they would be under the old system or something close to it. This could dramatically mess with the value of picks.

This entire new plan is Silver and the league office reacting to a year when a lot of teams chose to focus on the draft because it is particularly deep. If the NBA did nothing, tanking would be far less of an issue next season because the draft class is not considered nearly as deep or as talented.

The NBA owners can tweak and modify any system put in front of them, but they will have to be pushed by their GMs to do so. It’s going to be an interesting month to see how that plays out.

LeBron James says defense wasn’t the problem against Rockets in Game 4

HOUSTON, TX – APRIL 24: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the Houston Rockets during Round 1 Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

With both teams suffering a slew of injuries to key players, this Lakers-Rockets series hasn’t exactly been beautiful basketball. All of the games have featured offensive struggles and the winning team having to grit and grind their way to victory.

The Lakers have been the better team under these conditions and won the first three games. In Game 4, though, they couldn’t complete the first-round sweep and were blown out by the Rockets.

Los Angeles out-rebounded Houston and scored more points in the paint despite Alperen Şengün having a stellar game, so why weren’t they able to pull off the win?

LeBron James offered an explanation postgame.

“Defense wasn’t our problem tonight,” LeBron said. “It was our offense. Defense wasn’t our problem. I mean, s—, we turned the ball over 23 times for 30 points?… Defense wasn’t our problem. It was offense.”

Not only did the Lakers turn the ball over constantly, but even when they held possession, they didn’t do much with it. As a team, they went 5-22 from 3-point range, which equals a woeful 23% from deep.

LA scoring just 96 points in Game 4, just isn’t enough to win many postseason games. Even in victories, the purple and gold have struggled offensively. In these playoffs, they have an offensive rating of 108.6, which ranks 11th out of 16 playoff teams.

“This is a top ten defense the entire season,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said. “It’s obviously very challenging without your two leading scorers to generate offense. We’ll take a look at the process again on that end as well. I know our points per shot and our expected points per shot were slightly below our season average. So, to me, it goes back to the two keys. Take care of the ball and we’ll look at that and how we can be better there.”

The Lakers might not have to worry about missing their two best scorers anymore, as Austin Reaves is expected to return for Game 5.

If he does, then that gives LA a tremendous offensive boost. Reaves averages 23.3 points per game and is a much more reliable player to depend on to score 20-plus points than, say, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard, who have done it during this series, but can’t regularly.

“Again, they played a great game,” Redick said. “I think our guys came into the game with the right intent. [Houston] certainly played a really good offensive game. They didn’t do anything differently. We can certainly be better with some of our small details whether it be pick and roll up to touch, our shifts, all that stuff. Our shifts to close, we did a better job of boxing out tonight but some of that was they made more shots. We’re going to look at it over the next two days and get better.”

Despite the offensive struggles, the Lakers are still in the driver’s seat. They are up 3-1, have Game 5 at home up next and have home court in case somehow this series goes the distance.

If they can make the appropriate adjustments and get Reaves back, they can still easily win and advance to play the Thunder.

The main path towards that outcome is to improve offensively. So far, Redick and the Lakers have proven that when things need fixing, they get it done. We’ll see if they do so in Game 5.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

Hawks at Knicks, Game 5: start time, TV, streaming, radio, game thread

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 23: Jonathan Kuminga #0 of the Atlanta Hawks recovers a loose ball against Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks during the final seconds of the fourth quarter of game three of the Eastern Conference first round playoffs at State Farm Arena on April 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Atlanta Hawks (2-2) try to repeat their Game 2 win in Madison Square Garden tonight in Game 5.

Jock Landale (right high ankle sprain) has been ruled out.

Starting lineup:

  • G CJ McCollum
  • G Nickeil Alexander-Walker
  • F Dyson Daniels
  • F Jalen Johnson
  • C Onyeka Okongwu

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen

Location: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York, NY

Start Time: 8:00 PM EDT

TV: NBC

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)

Streaming: Peacock, Sling TV

Arizona Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #28: 4/27 @ Brewers

General view of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 8, 2024. Milwaukee will host the 2024 Republican National Convention in July. (Photo by Daniel SLIM / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images

Today’s Lineups

DIAMONDBACKS BREWERS
Ildemaro Vargas – 1B Garrett Mitchell – CF
Ketel Marte – 2B William Contreras – C
Corbin Carroll – RF Brice Turang – 2B
Lourdes Gurriel – LF Tyler Black – DH
Adrian Del Castillo – DH Jake Bauers – 1B
Jose Fernandez – SS Brandon Lockridge – LF
Nolan Arenado – 3B Sal Frelick – RF
Alek Thomas – CF David Hamilton – 3B
James McCann – C Joey Ortiz – SS
Merrill Kelly – RHP Chad Patrick – RHP

Bit of a good news, bad news situation with regard to the line-up for the opener in Milwaukee. Adrian Del Castillo is back, albeit at DH, after dislocating his finger on Sunday in Mexico. But still no Geraldo Perdomo, who twisted his ankle during the same series. Jose Fernandez gets another start at short: while his playing time in the field since coming up has mostly been at first-base, he has most experience at shortstop in the minors, so he’s not exactly unfamiliar with the position. However, last year he made 22 errors over 104 games for Amarillo, which does suggest it’s not Jose’s best position. Still, needs must. [Perdomo was seen taking grounders today]

Merrill Kelly will seek to bounce back after one of the worst outings of his career. Last time, against the White Sox, was the first ever occasion he had allowed 8+ earned runs, while also giving up double-digit hits. At 4,1 innings, it was also the shortest outing in his career with 10+ hits. The 13 overall base-runners (10 hits and 3 walks) had been surpassed only one, an August 2023 outing in Los Angeles where he allowed 12 hits and 3 walks over five innings. All told, the Game Score of 13 was tied for third-lowest, and was the worst of Kelly’s career when pitching at Chase Field. Lots of room for improvement, obviously.

The Brewers are last in their division, despite having a winning record. Figure that has to be kinda rare, more than a month into the season. It’s likely due to the lack of games within the division. Everyone in the NL Central has played at least 27 games in total, but the Pirates are the only ones to have played more than a single series against another team in the Central. All told, of the 141 games played by the five members of the division, only twenty have been versus each other. This series won’t help there, while the Cubs and Reds are also playing the West, in the shape of the Padres and Rockies respectively.

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Mariners Game #31 Preview and Discussion: 4/28/26, SEA at MIN

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – APRIL 27: Logan Gilbert #36 of the Seattle Mariners signs autographs prior to the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Monday, April 27, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Andrew Ritter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

The Mariners will try to extend their win streak to four games (on fields without standing water).

The Mariners send out their “we’re facing a righty” lineup against Joe Ryan, who’s the Twins best starting pitcher this year with a 3.22 FIP. The Mariners will likely see a heavy dose of fastballs and sinkers, with the occasional splitter to lefties and sweeper to righties.

Logan Gilbert gets the start and looks to bounce back after a disappointing outing against the A’s last week, in which he only got through four innings. Gilbert’s issues in the past have generally come down to efficiency, and that’s been the case against early in 2026.

I don’t have too much to say for the preview today. Fortunately, we have some good stuff up on the site for your pregame reading enjoyment:

Lineups

Today’s Game Information:

Time: 4:40 PT

TV: Mariners.TV, with Aaron Goldsmith and Angie Mentink, with Brad Adam as field reporter

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Gary Hill Jr. and Ryan Rowland-Smith

Magic and Lakers look to advance, Cavaliers host Raptors in pivotal Game 5

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers were underdogs going into their first-round playoff series. Both teams will be looking to close things out on Wednesday night in their respective Game 5s.

Orlando looks to become the seventh No. 8 seed to advance when it plays at top-seeded Detroit.

The fourth-seeded Lakers, who are without the injured Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, host the fifth-seeded Rockets, who have missed Kevin Durant for three of the four games.

Cleveland hosts Toronto with that series tied at two games apiece. It’s the only first-round series where home court has held up. The Cavaliers won the first two before the Raptors evened things over the weekend.

The Magic — who are looking to win a playoff series for the first time since 2010 — have plenty of momentum after winning both games in Orlando. But they haven’t won a Game 5 on the road in the playoffs, going 0-9.

“We’ve put ourselves in a position to try to get four (wins), but right now it means nothing. We’ve got the advantage, and right now we’ve just got to make sure we keep that advantage,” coach Jamahl Mosley said.

Orlando is also looking to be only the second No. 8 seed to win its first-round series after advancing through the play-in tournament. Miami did it in 2023 when it dispatched Milwaukee in five games. The Heat ended up advancing to the NBA Finals, where they lost to Denver.

Detroit hasn’t advanced past the first round since 2008. Pistons fans can take some solace that they were the last team to come back from a 3-1 first-round deficit as a top seed. And it was against the Magic in 2003.

“Backs are against the wall. … What are you going to do? You’re going to fight. You have to fight to the end, so let’s get back to the crib, protect the crib, and take it one game at a time,” Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart said. “The series is not over and we are going to keep fighting.”

It’s almost easy to forget the Lakers were widely expected to lose this series handily while playing without their top two scorers, because now they’re unexpectedly facing pressure to close it out at home in Game 5.

“Well, you have to kill them. It’s difficult to kill someone. Survival instinct says, ‘I want to stay alive,’ so you’ve got to be able to kill them,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

Even though Doncic remains out with a left hamstring strain, Reaves could provide a boost. He will be a game-time decision after being sidelined nearly four weeks with a strained oblique.

The Rockets were loose at the end of practice Tuesday before heading to the airport to travel to Los Angeles. The Notorious B.I.G. song “Going Back to Cali” blared on the speakers as players laughed and danced between shots.

They remain confident despite the strong possibility that they’ll be without Durant for the fourth game in this series.

“We’re obviously the better team, I feel like,” Jabari Smith Jr. said. “So just knowing that, being confident, trusting our work.”

Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons

When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 7 p.m. EDT (Prime Video).

Series: Magic lead 3-1.

Betting line: Pistons by 10 1/2.

What to Know: The Pistons have two All-Stars (Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren) for the first time since 2008, but both have not been at their best in the playoffs. Cunningham, an all-NBA candidate, averaged nearly 24 points, 10 assists and fewer than four turnovers a game in the regular season. He’s scoring nearly 30 points a game in the playoffs, but he’s averaging four more shots with a lower shooting percentage and is turning the ball over nearly seven times a game. Duren averaged almost 20 points and more than 10 rebounds in the regular season and has been held to single digits in both categories, getting outplayed by Wendell Carter Jr. and dunked on by Jamal Cain.

Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers

When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 7:30 p.m. EDT (ESPN).

Series: Tied, 2-2.

Betting line: Cavaliers by 8 1/2.

What to Know: This has been the only first-round series where the home team has won all four games. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes scored a game-high 23 points in Sunday’s 93-89 win and is the first player in franchise history to have four straight 20-point games to start a series. Cleveland committed 39 turnovers in its two losses at Toronto, which led to 40 Raptors points. James Harden has 24 turnovers in the series, including seven on Sunday. The Cavaliers are last in free-throw percentage during the playoffs, making 71.9%.

Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers

When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 10 p.m. EDT (ESPN).

Series: Lakers lead 3-1.

Betting line: Lakers by 4 1/2.

What to Know: The Lakers need a win not because the Rockets would have all the momentum with two straight victories, but also because the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder have already swept their way into the second round to await the winner. The Rockets’ offensive attack was terrible in the first two games in Los Angeles with or without Durant. Alperen Sengun and his teammates must maintain their improvements after scoring a series-high 115 points in Game 4.

___

AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham in El Segundo, California, Larry Lage in Detroit, Rob Maaddi in Orlando, Florida, and Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Where to watch Portland Trail Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs Game 5 NBA playoffs: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Tuesday, April 28

The San Antonio Spurs will try to close out the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 5 of the teams’ first-round playoff series. The Spurs rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to win Game 4 114-93 on Sunday and take a 3-1 series lead. With one more victory, the Spurs will advance to face the winner of the Minnesota Timberwolves-Denver Nuggets series.

  • Spread: San Antonio Spurs -12.5

  • Moneyline: San Antonio Spurs -700 (84.0%) / Portland Trail Blazers +500 (16.0%)

  • Over/Under: 214.5

Game 1:Spurs 111, Trail Blazers 98
Game 2:Trail Blazers 106, Spurs 103
Game 3:Spurs 120, Trail Blazers 108
Game 4:Spurs 114, Trail Blazers 93
Game 5: Portland at San Antonio on Tuesday, April 28 (9:30 p.m. ESPN)
*Game 6: San Antonio at Portland on Thursday, April 30 (time and network TBD)
*Game 7: Portland at San Antonio on Saturday, May 2 (time and network TBD)

*if necessary

Where to watch Portland Trail Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs Game 5 NBA playoffs: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Tuesday, April 28

The San Antonio Spurs will try to close out the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 5 of the teams’ first-round playoff series. The Spurs rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to win Game 4 114-93 on Sunday and take a 3-1 series lead. With one more victory, the Spurs will advance to face the winner of the Minnesota Timberwolves-Denver Nuggets series.

  • Spread: San Antonio Spurs -12.5

  • Moneyline: San Antonio Spurs -700 (84.0%) / Portland Trail Blazers +500 (16.0%)

  • Over/Under: 214.5

Game 1:Spurs 111, Trail Blazers 98
Game 2:Trail Blazers 106, Spurs 103
Game 3:Spurs 120, Trail Blazers 108
Game 4:Spurs 114, Trail Blazers 93
Game 5: Portland at San Antonio on Tuesday, April 28 (9:30 p.m. ESPN)
*Game 6: San Antonio at Portland on Thursday, April 30 (time and network TBD)
*Game 7: Portland at San Antonio on Saturday, May 2 (time and network TBD)

*if necessary

NBA Draft Lottery: League reportedly planning anti-tanking proposal that punishes bottom 3 teams

The NBA has settled on a plan to fight tanking after one of the most tanking-filled regular seasons in recent memory, according to multiple reports.

The league has reportedly informed its 30 general mangers of a new plan that will, among other things, expand the draft lottery to 16 teams (from 14), penalize the league’s bottom three teams and simplify lottery odds down to whether a team gets one, two or three ping-pong balls.

The framework reportedly has the support from a majority of teams, though minor modifications could be made before the proposal is put forward for an owners vote on May 28. If approved, it would reportedly take effect starting with the 2027 NBA Draft.

The new “3-2-1” structure, also reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, would create a system where each team gets a certain number of ping-pong balls to win the No. 1 pick. Here’s how it breaks down going in reverse order of the standings and then play-in game participants:

  • No. 1-3: two ping-pong balls (5.4%)

  • No. 4-10: three ping-pong balls (8.1%)

  • Teams in 9-10 play-in games: two ping-pong balls (5.4%)

  • Losers of 7-8 play-in games: one ping-pong ball (2.7%)

So the new system is designed to incentivize non-playoff teams to try to stay competitive late in the season, and it will also give the No. 8 seeds in the East and West at least one shot at the top pick. This makes the NBA the first of the four major North American leagues to officially penalize its worst teams in the standings.

All of that is a significant change from the current system, which gives every non-playoff team a certain chance at the top pick, topped off at 14% for the three worst teams.

There are reportedly additional safeguards as well. The proposal forbids teams from winning the top pick in back-to-back seasons or winning a top-five pick in three consecutive seasons. Having that rule in place in previous seasons would have impacted a number of playoff rosters.

The league will also have expanded disciplinary authority to penalize tanking through the reduction of teams’ lottery odds and/or modification of draft position.

Again, that’s more aggressive than the current system, which has so far consisted of NBA commissioner Adam Silver hitting openly tanking teams with six-digit fines.

The NBA appears to be doing all of this on a trial basis, as the proposal reportedly includes a sunset provision that makes the system expire after the 2029 NBA Draft. At that point, the board of governors can either keep it in place or replace the system.

All of this has been in the works for months, in reaction to a season where five different teams finished with more than 60 losses and five more teams had at least 50 losses. The Washington Wizards emerged from the muck with the top position, which guarantees them a top-five pick in what is considered the deepest draft class in recent memory.

A different system was publicly floated Monday, which would have further expanded the lottery to 18 teams.