The NBA Draft Lottery is a game of luck and while some teams are going to have more ping pong balls than others, all it takes is the right combination for a team to move up and secure a top four pick. The Atlanta Hawks found that out the hard way today. For those that don't know how the NBA Draft lottery works, there are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14. All 14 balls are placed into the machine, and after certain time intervals, the balls are drawn until a four-number combination is formed, and the process is repeated for the top two picks After the Wizards and the Jazz secured the top two picks in the lottery, it was time to draw for No. 3. The first three ping pong balls that appeared were 13-4-10 and Atlanta just needed one more number to go their way and they would secure the No. 3 pick in this loaded 2026 NBA Draft. It did not go their way, however, and the Memphis Grizzlies won the third overall pick.…