Trail Blazers win over Timberwolves is the biggest NBA upset in decades
The Portland Trail Blazers created modern NBA betting history by winning a game that they would rather lose on Sunday.
The Blazers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-105 in Minneapolis as 19.5-point underdogs in what’s easily the biggest upset of the season via the point spread. And according to ESPN’s research department, Since the beginning of the century, the Blazers have been the greatest underdog to win an actual game. Orlando Magic Beat the Chicago Bulls They were 21-point underdogs in 1991-92.
The loss is the third straight for a Minnesota team that’s trying to be in the top two spots in the play-in tournament. The Western Conference is in disarray and the Wolves currently rank 9th. Minnesota is currently 1.5 games behind the other teams at 39-40 Lakers And Pelicans For the seventh and eighth. Friday night saw the Lakers defeat Minnesota
Portland is currently 13th out of 15 West teams and has been among the worst in basketball since the All Star break. Portland decided to sit star, despite the possibility of being in the playoffs. Damian Lillard This week, Lillard will be absent for the remainder of the season. Lillard hasn’t played since March 22 because of a calf injury.
Lillard was one of four Blazers’ starters out of the lineup on Sunday night against Minnesota. Jusuf Nurkic, Jerami Grant And Anfernee Simons Also, sat out for rookie Shaedon Sharpe Scored 27.
The victory was just Portland’s second in its past 14 games as the Blazers are now 33-45 and a game back in the win column of three teams in the Eastern Conference. That’s extremely important for draft lottery positioning. If you’re into that sort of thing, of course.
Portland currently holds the fifth-worst record within the NBA, surpassing only the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs And Charlotte Hornets. The four worst records in NBA history are guaranteed for all four of these teams. They also have the four best chances to win the No. The 2023 NBA Draft will feature the No. 1 pick.
The Blazers have a 10.5% chance of getting the No. 1. The fifth-worst team is the Blazers. One of the three East teams has a 4.5% chance to win the top pick. There is a 4.5% chance that the league’s ninth-worst team will be the top pick. It’s quite a difference. Portland won’t want to live that experience.