Will the ping-pong balls finally bounce Utah's way? As the Jazz enter their fourth year of lottery hopes, it's time for a refresher on how the NBA draft lottery works—and what to watch for on Sunday.

The real magic happens behind the scenes. Before ABC's broadcast begins at 1 p.m. MDT, a select group gathers in a private room: NBA officials, a small media contingent, and one representative from each lottery team (for the Jazz, that's Austin Ainge). This is where the ping-pong balls do the talking.

Here's the process: 14 numbered balls are placed in a lottery machine. After a 20-second mix, the first ball is drawn. Then, after 10-second mixes between each, three more balls follow. The four-ball combination determines which team lands the No. 1 pick. The same procedure repeats for the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 picks. If a team's combination comes up again—or if the one unassigned combination (out of 1,001 possible) appears—the result is discarded, and the drawing continues.

Once the top four picks are set, the remaining lottery positions (5 through 14) are determined by inverse order of regular-season win percentage. So the team with the worst record that didn't crack the top four picks gets the fifth selection, and so on.

After the drawing room results are recorded and later posted on NBA.com, the envelopes are sent to the broadcast stage. There, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum reveals them in reverse order—from 14th to first—while a second team representative (for the Jazz, rookie Keyonte George) watches on.

For Jazz fans, this year's lottery carries extra weight. With a strong draft class on the horizon, every ping-pong ball could shape the franchise's future. Will luck finally land in Utah's favor? Tune in Sunday to find out.