Utah Jazz drop 10th straight after collapse in New Orleans

What once was a two-team race for the NBA’s fourth- and fifth-worst records has quickly turned into a three-team battle for lottery positioning.

The Brooklyn Nets’ surprising win over the Milwaukee Bucks moved them to 20-59 on the season, just one victory behind the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings in the standings.

If the Nets finish with the same record as the Jazz and Kings, the three teams’ ping-pong ball combinations would be combined and split evenly ahead of the May 10 draft lottery.

In that scenario, the NBA would also conduct a random drawing next week to determine draft order among the Nets, Jazz and Kings if none of the three teams moves up in the lottery.

The Nets beat the Bucks, which pulls them within one win of the Jazz and the Kings in the standings.

Nets close the season at home against the Pacers, then on the road in Milwaukee and Toronto.

The Pacers game is on Thursday, before the Jazz play again.

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 8, 2026

That situation keeps the door open for the Jazz to finish with the third-worst record in the league, which would prevent them from falling lower than the No. 7 pick in the draft.

If the Jazz finish with the fourth-worst record, they could not fall lower than the No. 8 pick.

Even with equal lottery odds among the three teams, finishing anywhere but last in the hypothetical drawing would guarantee the Jazz retain their lottery pick.

If the Jazz finish last in the tiebreaker with the Nets and Kings, they would have a 0.6 chance of sending their pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Jazz return home Friday to host the Memphis Grizzlies before closing the regular season Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Kings opened a home-and-home series against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday and will wrap up their season Sunday in Portland against the Trail Blazers.

The Nets host the Indiana Pacers on Thursday before traveling to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on Friday. Brooklyn closes its season Sunday on the road against the Toronto Raptors.

John Konchar records Jazz’s fourth triple-double of the season

John Konchar recorded the Jazz’s fourth triple-double of the season in New Orleans, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The wing, acquired in the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, has provided a steady presence off the bench as the Jazz close out the season.

John Konchar records the fourth triple-double of the Jazz’s season, following Jusuf Nurkic who did it in three straight games in January.

Konchar has 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, his second career triple-double.

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 8, 2026

“John’s a really good all-around player,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said after the game. “He does it in a lot of different ways. He’s so unselfish with just how he approaches the game, does the dirty work, guards, cuts rebounds, [and] forces turnovers.”

With Jaren Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen, Ace Bailey and Keyonte George on the roster next year, scoring is not expected to be an issue. Finding a player who can impact the game without needing shots, however, could prove critical.

The Jazz have several young players competing for roles in what projects to be a deep rotation next season, but Konchar’s recent play could give him an advantage heading into the summer.

The performance marked the 30-year-old’s second career triple-double. Jusuf Nurkic recorded three consecutive triple-doubles from Jan. 20-24.