Thanks to Suns, and Nets, Celtics clinch No. 1 spot in NBA Draft Lottery

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The Celtics have clinched the No. 1 spot...in odds for the NBA Draft Lottery, that is.

The Phoenix Suns' 120-99 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday night clinched the NBA's worst record for the Brooklyn Nets at 19-60. The Suns are 23-57.

The Celtics, of course, have the right to swap first-round picks with Brooklyn, thanks to the gift that keeps on giving - the 2013 trade that sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets. 

With that Brooklyn pick, the Celtics have a 25 percent chance of getting the No. 1 selection in the draft. Still, only six times in 32 years of the lottery has the team with the best odds gotten that top pick. 

The Suns are next at 19.9 percent, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers at 15.6, and the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic at just over 10 percent. 

The NBA Draft Lottery is May 16. Point guards Markelle Fultz of Washington and Lonzo Ball of UCLA and Kansas small forward Josh Jackson are considered the top candidates for the No. 1 pick. 
 

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