Lucky number eleven?

The Knicks draft lottery position moved up a spot and is set at No. 11 after the Clippers lost Friday night to the Pelicans in the final play-in game. It means the Knicks have a two percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick and a decent 9.4% chance of cracking the top-4 when ping pong balls are drawn May 17 in Chicago.

Still, the overwhelmingly most likely scenario is the Knicks pick 11th with a 77.6% chance. They can also move back to 12th (12.6% chance) but can’t pick 5th to 10th.

The Knicks’ lottery luck has been atrocious. The franchise hasn’t moved up since the Patrick Ewing sweepstakes in 1985, meaning New York has either fell at or under its lottery position. Under team president Leon Rose, the Knicks were seeded sixth in 2020 but picked eighth (became Obi Toppin). In 2019, they posted the NBA’s worst record but picked third (RJ Barrett).

There is no clear-cut No. 1 pick this year but a top 4 pick could net the Knicks intriguing prospects Jabari Smith (Auburn), Paolo Banchero (Duke), Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga) or Jaden Ivey (Purdue).

Final draft lottery slots:

1. Houston Rockets

2. Orlando Magic

3. Detroit Pistons

4. OKC Thunder

5. Indiana Pacers

6. Portland Trailblazers

7. Sacramento Kings

8. L.A. Lakers (traded to Pelicans)

9. San Antonio Spurs

10. Washington Wizards

11. KNICKS

12. L.A. Clippers (traded to Thunder)

13. Charlotte Hornets

14. Cleveland Cavaliers

()