NBA draft lottery watch: Cavaliers, Suns in play as 3rd worst team

While the Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic remain the leaders to finish with the two worst records in the NBA, both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns are making one heck of a run for that third spot.

The Cavs have lost eight games in a row and are currently percentage points worse than the Suns. Somewhat strangely, Cleveland decided to bring back Kyrie Irving from a shoulder injury, although his 31 points did little to stop the slide in an ugly 112-92 loss to the New Orleans Hornets. Irving will not play on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks, and it will be interesting to see how the Cavs handled the rest of his season.

Meanwhile, the Suns have dropped six straight and have shown signs of unabashed tanking. Phoenix recently sat a healthy Goran Dragic for nearly a week, which drew the ire of some Suns players. Dragic did return to the lineup on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers, but the Suns were blown out anyway.

The Detroit Pistons are hot on the heels of Cleveland and Phoenix, having lost three in a row and finishing up the month of March with just one victory. The Pistons actually had a good chance to beat the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night, but their offense folded down the stretch in a 95-94 loss. Two air-balled free throws in the fourth quarter by rookie big man Andre Drummond certainly did not help matters.