Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter is subject to an investigation into what could be a huge scandal in the NBA, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports Porter is being investigated by the NBA “into irregularities on prop betting involving him” and is out of the lineup for Toronto.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter is out of the lineup and a subject of an NBA investigation into irregularities on prop betting involving him, sources tell @DavidPurdum, @ESPNWindhorst and me. Story soon. pic.twitter.com/DncBNbDptW
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2024
Wojnarowski details two specific games that are being looked into, the most recent of which came against the Phoenix Suns.
From the ESPN article:
“On March 20, in a game against the Phoenix Suns, Porter played just three minutes before leaving the game because of what the Raptors said was an illness and did not return. He did not score, attempted and missed one shot, and had two rebounds.
Sportsbooks had his over/unders set at around 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds.
The next day, DraftKings SportsBooks reported to its users that Porter’s prop bets were the No. 1 moneymaker from the night in the NBA.”
Woj reports that the “irregularities on prop betting” involving Porter took place in two specific games, the most recent of which against the Phoenix #Suns on March 20 @BurnCitySuns https://t.co/cQJMVLNyTP https://t.co/uRH3VvVfwy pic.twitter.com/YBrNgealIy
— Brendan Mau (@brendan_mau) March 25, 2024
The first instance came on Jan. 26 against the Los Angeles Clippers, per Wojnarowski.
“At issue are prop bets involving Porter from games on Jan. 26 and March 20, multiple sources told ESPN. The NBA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In the game on Jan. 26 against the LA Clippers, there was increased betting interest on the under for Porter props, which for the night were set at around 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. There was also an over/under for Porter’s made 3-pointers, which was 0.5.
That night, Porter played just four minutes before leaving the game because of what the Raptors said was a re-aggravation of an eye injury he’d suffered four days earlier in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. He did not score against the Clippers, had three rebounds and one assist, and did not attempt a 3, meaning the under hit on all of the props.
The next day, as part of a daily report to users on betting results, DraftKings Sportsbook reported that the under on Porter’s 3-pointers was the biggest money winner for bettors of any NBA player props from games that evening.
Porter played 19 minutes two days later and scored 12 points with seven rebounds and three assists.”
Porter is the younger brother of Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. and is averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists across 26 games this season on a two-way contract signed in December.
Wojnarowski explains the penalties of NBA players betting on games.
“NBA players, alongside all league employees, are prohibited from betting on any league events, including prop bets. Violations of the policy could include fines, suspensions and possible termination of contracts, among other actions.
Sports betting is monitored by dedicated personnel from each NBA team, and the league has a team of data scientists focused on sports betting anomalies and possible integrity issues and also works with third-party integrity monitors.”
This is just the first of what could be many gambling incidents in the NBA after partnerships with sportsbooks and was reported less than an hour that Shohei Ohtani gave a statement into the gambling scandal involving his translator.
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
