Raptors win lottery; Sonics to pick 10th in draft

SECAUCUS, N.J. — The Toronto Raptors beat the odds to win the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft lottery. Things went to form for the Sonics, who got the No. 10 pick.

There was less than a 4 percent chance the Sonics would move up into one of the top-three picks and about an 87 percent chance they would get the 10th pick.

Figuring out what the Raptors will do with the No. 1 pick will be the first major decision for new general manager Bryan Colangelo.

"Right now we've got a month to go, and we'll see what comes our way and see what we can dig up," Colangelo said Tuesday, minutes after the Raptors (27-55) jumped four spots in the ping-pong ball lottery.

The Raptors' chances of landing the top pick for the first time were 8.8 percent.

"For us to have this kind of luck is a symbol of a reversal of fortune going forward," said Colangelo, who was hired in February, a day after the former executive of the year left a similar position with the Phoenix Suns. "We have our work cut out. This will help."

There doesn't seem to be a definitive No. 1 pick for the June 28 draft to be held in New York.

Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison, Texas center LaMarcus Aldridge and LSU forward Tyrus Thomas — all underclassmen — are considered top candidates.

Under the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, this is the first year high-school players won't be eligible for the draft.

There were a couple of notable losers in the lottery, the New York Knicks and the Portland Trail Blazers, the league's two worst teams.

Portland (21-61) slipped all the way to fourth despite having a 25 percent chance of winning the top pick.

The Knicks (23-59) were losers even before the lottery. They gave their No. 1 pick to Chicago in a preseason deal for center Eddy Curry, and then they posted their worst season since 1985-86, Patrick Ewing's rookie season.

The Bulls (41-41) struck a bonanza, getting rid of an unhappy player, making the playoffs in the process and getting the No. 2 pick overall.

Charlotte will have the third pick, which coincides with its third-worst record. Atlanta dropped from No. 4 to fifth overall. The other nine teams in the lottery stayed in the order as their records.

Minnesota is sixth and will be followed by Boston, Houston, Golden State, Seattle, Orlando, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Utah.