The Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards went into an epic matchup to see who could out-tank the other. Well, despite Trae Young’s debut, the Jazz handled their business in the end. By beating Washington, their win affects where they place in the tank.

With the Jazz’s 122-112 win over the Wizards, they still maintain the NBA’s fifth-worst record, though it helps the Wizards gain some distance from them and ties them with the Pelicans. After the loss, here are the tanking standings.

1. Sacramento Kings: 14-49
2. Indiana Pacers: 15-47
3. Brooklyn Nets: 15-46
4. Washington Wizards: 16-46
t-5. New Orleans Pelicans: 19-44
t-5. Utah Jazz: 19-44

That’s right, after losing two consecutive matchups to the Pelicans not long ago, the Jazz now share the No. 5 spot. They still have 19 games to keep it themselves or go higher, so clearly, not all hope is lost. However, with the Jazz’s intentions and all, this was one of those games they obviously didn’t prefer to win, but got it anyway.

If the season ended today, a coin flip would determine who gets the higher spot, something the Jazz want, and the Pelicans don’t. If Utah wins the coin flip, they have a 99.3% chance of keeping their pick from Oklahoma City. If they lose, they have a 96.3% chance of keeping the pick.

It’s not the end of the world if it stays this way

Obviously, Utah wants the best odds possible, so >99 is preferable to >96, but if they have the chance to improve those odds, there’s no reason not to take it.

But hey, 96% is still excellent. The Jazz have done a fantastic job positioning themselves well to ensure the worst-case scenario doesn’t happen. Sure, it doesn’t rule out the odds that they won’t get a high lottery pick, but the one thing they, nor rest of the NBA for the matter, wants is for the Thunder to get their hands on a cost-controlled franchise building block.

So while losing tonight is not the end of the world, the Jazz simply need to keep their spot at No. 6 at worst. Adding more urgency to the matter is that Dallas lost tonight, which puts them at two-and-half games in back of Utah for the No. 6 spot. Despite the return of Cooper Flagg, the Mavericks will likely only continue to lose from here.

The Jazz have signaled that they know what’s at stake, so while they likely would have preferred to lose to the Wizards, they’re not panicking. Yet.