A late surge against the Pacers cost the Wizards draft lottery positioning, fueling the league's anti-tanking debate.
The Washington Wizards defeated the Indiana Pacers last night, 112-105, dropping them three spots in the NBA draft lottery. The Wizards dropped from the league's second-worst record to the fifth-worst in one night.
The Wizards sat their NBA Rising Stars players Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson for the entire fourth quarter, and they each only played 19 minutes. Still, a late 14-0 run by the Wizards put away the lowly Pacers late in the game.
Head coach Brian Keefe told reporters after the game that Johnson is currently playing on a minutes restriction, and George had a lower-foot problem bothering him early in the game.
Anthony Gill, the longest tenured Wizard, played a team-high 30 minutes, putting together an efficient 13 points and 8 rebounds, including a dagger three late. Additionally, Washington did not play Justin Champagnie or Jamir Watkins, both players who've made significant impacts on games this season.
Washington's G-League call-ups, Kadary Richmond and Alondes Williams, both played over 27 minutes.
The race to the bottom in the NBA is a massive one. Sacramento has lost 15 games in a row after its 131-94 loss to Orlando last night. Indiana, New Orleans, Washington, and Brooklyn each have 15 wins. Utah sits behind with 18 wins.
Pick protections have enhanced the issue. The Wizards and Jazz each have top-8 protections on their first-round picks. Additionally, both squads have made significant acquisitions in the trade market, signaling their desire to compete next season.
Tanking has stolen the NBA headlines in recent weeks, with the league handing out fines to the Jazz and the Pacers. Commissioner Adam Silver said the league was closely examining to combat the issue at All-Star weekend.
Evidently, the league is taking action for the future.
Silver informed the league's 30 general managers Thursday that the NBA plans to make anti-tanking rule changes for next season, ESPN's Shams Charania reported. Talks began regarding the issue back in December, but intensified over recent weeks.
According to ESPN, some of the concepts to combat tanking next season include, first-round draft picks can be protected only for top-four or top-14-plus selections. Lottery odds freezing at the trade deadline or a later date, no longer allowing a team to pick in the top four in consecutive years and/or after consecutive bottom-three finishes, and more.
One act appears directly pointed at the Pacers, as a proposed initiative is to prevent a team that reached the conference finals the season before from picking in the top four.
The Wizards and Pacers don't get a break from one another. The two face off in D.C. again tonight at 7:00 p.m.