Utah Jazz Capture Worst Record With 116-105 Loss To Wolves
Apr 13, 2025, 4:38 PM | Updated: Apr 14, 2025, 1:02 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz dropped their final game of the 2024-25 season, falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105 to finish with the worst record in the NBA.
The Jazz were led by Brice Sensabaugh who scored 22 points, while Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 43 points.
Game Blog: Jazz Close Season With Loss To Timberwolves
Worst Record Guarantees Utah Jazz Top 5 Pick
With the Jazz’s loss to the Timberwolves, they concluded the season with a 17-65 record, the worst in franchise history, and the worst in the NBA this season.
The Jazz and Washington Wizards both entered Sunday tied for the league’s worst record, but got unexpected help in the league’s early window of games to finish alone at the bottom of the standings.
The Wizards led the Heat 114-107 with four minutes left to play in Miami, but promptly gave up an 11-0 run, and found themselves trailing 118-114 with eight seconds left in the game.
Wizards guard Justin Champagnie made a three-point shot to trim the deficit to 118-117 with five seconds left to play, before the Heat committed a backcourt violation on their ensuing inbound play.
🗣️ BUB 🗣️ CARRINGTON!!!!! https://t.co/fEnyZhm1iK pic.twitter.com/WRj1oj6fCc
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) April 13, 2025
With 4.1 seconds left on the game clock, Washington rookie Bub Carrington caught the ball at midcourt and drove to the basket for an acrobatic finish over two Heat players to give the Wizards a miraculous 119-114 victory.
With the win, the Wizards finished the season with an 18-64 record, one game ahead of the Jazz in the standings.
By finishing with the worst record in the league, the Jazz can fall no further than fifth in the draft lottery. With their win, the Wizards have a 20 percent chance of dropping to sixth.
Here are the lottery odds for the Jazz after finishing with the worst record in the NBA:
1st: 14.0 percent
2nd: 13.4 percent
3rd: 12.7 percent
4th: 12.0 percent
5th: 47.9 percent
Jazz Learn Fate Of Other First-Rounder
While most eyes were glued to the Wizards’ result, the Jazz were also monitoring several other contests throughout the league that would determine the fate of their second first-round pick courtesy of the Timberwolves.
The Jazz got help from the Indiana Pacers, who erased a 27-point first-half deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-118, and the Denver Nuggets, who beat the Houston Rockets 126-111.
Additionally, the Los Angeles Clippers earned their 50th win of the season with a victory over the Golden State Warriors in their season finale, leaving the Wolves as the only team in the league with 49 wins this season, avoiding the need for a draft tiebreaker.
Warriors lose to the Clippers, leaving the Timberwolves as the only team in the NBA this year to finish with exactly 49, meaning the Jazz will own the 21st pick in the first round.
Four teams finished with 50 wins, so Jazz will await a tie-breaker for their other 2nd-round pick.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 13, 2025
The Jazz are now guaranteed to have the 21st pick in the draft courtesy of the Timberwolves, which they acquired in the Rudy Gobert trade in 2022.
The Dallas Mavericks also owe the Jazz their second-round pick this season, which will be either the 42nd or 43rd overall pick, depending on the outcome of a tiebreaker between Dallas and the Chicago Bulls.
With the Clippers, Nuggets, Pacers, and Los Angeles Lakers all finishing with 50 wins, the Jazz will await a four-team tiebreaker to learn whether they will own the 52nd, 53rd, 54th, or 55th pick in the draft.
Second-round picks are assigned in the reverse order of the first-round selections in tiebreaker scenarios.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
