Photo: New Orleans Pelicans/Twitter

With the season winding down and lottery positioning becoming increasingly important, E.J. Liddell had a breakout performance Tuesday, scoring a career-high 21 points in his second start to lead the Brooklyn Nets past the Milwaukee Bucks.

While it marked a personal milestone for the 25-year-old forward, the victory also came at a cost for Brooklyn’s draft odds, as it moved the Jazz and Kings within a half-game of the third-worst record – and the final 14% chance at the top pick, CJ Holmes writes for the New York Daily News notes.

The Nets have three games remaining, including one against the 18-61 Pacers, while the Kings have just two left, both against playoff-hopeful teams in the Blazers and Warriors, which could impact how the lottery standings shake out.

Liddell has played 3 seasons for the Nets, Bulls and Pelicans. He has averaged 2.7 points in 43 regular-season games.

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