Suspicion clouds over the NBA as it dives headfirst into an investigation regarding some elusive betting patterns concerning Jontay Porter, a key player for the Toronto Raptors. The mystery lurking under the surface involves significantly profitable bets placed on Porter’s underperformance in three-pointers during two recent games where he checked out early.
The games in question are the recently held matchups against the LA Clippers on January 26 and Sacramento Kings on March 20. Both games culminated in defeats for the Raptors with scores of 127-107 and 123-89, respectively. As fate would have it, Porter, usually a vital contributor, had surprisingly negligible input in these games.
Regaled with an unfortunate recurrence of an existing eye injury, Porter bowed out only four minutes into the Clippers game. His luck seemed no better during the contest with the Kings, where he made his exit three minutes along, this time attributing it to a sudden bout of illness.
Porter’s contribution to the Clippers game consisted of a blank scoreboard, three rebounds, and one assist. Coming up against the Kings, he recorded just one failed shooting attempt and two rebounds. On average, Porter has been churning out 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in the 26 games he has been part of.
Over these two particular games, DraftKings witnessed gamblers who bet on Porter’s underperformance in three-pointers become the largest winners among all NBA prop bets. Despite being absent on Monday due to undisclosed “personal reasons”, Porter finds himself right in the center of this whirlwind, although he hasn’t been indicated as guilty.
The investigation launched by the NBA seeks to uncover any hint of spot-fixing, a practice where players don’t manipulate the endgame but influence particulars within the game that can be gambled upon. This also includes cases where inside information about the game is traded for betting advantages.
Upon learning just before Monday’s game, Darko Rajaković, the Raptors’ coach, stated his faith in his team’s integrity and confessed that such a situation was a first for him. He maintains his belief in his players’ honesty, never doubting the legitimacy of their injuries.
This incident, although speculated, has cast another questionable shadow over the sports betting scene in the US after numerous recent scandals involving sports personalities and illicit betting practices. This includes episodes from Iowa college athletes and Alabama baseball coaches. Even more shocking is the incident involving Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, facing accusations of stealing millions from the Dodgers’ icon to place bets with an illegal bookmaker.
A DraftKings spokesperson, while refraining from commenting on Porter’s case, highlighted how regulated sports betting incorporates mechanisms to identify and report doubtful activities. They stressed that legal and regulated sports betting shields the integrity of the sport, a defense mechanism that is nonexistent in illegal markets.
