Cleveland Cavaliers bag top pick in NBA lottery

NEW YORK (AFP) –

Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving is pictured during a game as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend on February 15, 2013

Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers is pictured during a game as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend on February 15, 2013. The Cavaliers have nabbed the number one selection in next month’s NBA draft, winning the draft lottery for the second time in three years.

The Cleveland Cavaliers nabbed the number one selection in next month’s NBA draft, winning the draft lottery for the second time in three years.

Cleveland’s lottery jackpot comes 10 years after they landed superstar LeBron James with the top selection in 2003.

In 2011, rebuilding after James’ departure in 2010 for Miami, they gained the top pick via the lottery and selected current All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving.

The Cavaliers, coming off a 24-58 season in which Irving missed 23 games because of injuries, had the third-best odds to win the top choice.

They had a 15.6 percent chance of gaining the top selection in a lottery that gives the best odds to the team with the worst record in the league.

This year that was the Orlando Magic, who had a 25 percent chance of claiming the top selection after finishing a league-worst 20-62.

But after Tuesday’s draw, Orlando ended up with the second choice in the draft, which will be held on June 27.

The Washington Wizards will have the third selection while Charlotte, which had the second-best odds for the top choice at 19.9 percent, will have the fourth selection, followed by Phoenix, New Orleans, Sacrament, Detroit, Minnesota and Portland.

Philadelphia, Toronto, Dallas and Utah were slotted into spots 11-14, though Oklahoma City owns the Toronto Raptors’ pick as part of last October’s blockbuster trade with Houston involving James Harden.