The NBA is "looking into" multiple instances of prop bet irregularities involving Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors, as reported by David Purdum, Brian Windhorst, and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Porter was listed as out for Monday's game against the Brooklyn Nets due to personal reasons.
The suspicious activity stems from a game in late January and another contest last week where an unusually large number of bets were placed on the under for Porter.
For a Jan. 26 game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Porter's props were set at 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, along with a three-pointers made prop of 0.5. The Raptors big man ended up playing four minutes before being ruled out for the remainder of the game with a re-aggravation of an eye injury he sustained four days earlier.
Porter finished the game with zero points, three rebounds, one assist, and no three-pointers attempted, meaning all props hit the under. In its daily report, DraftKings Sportsbook found that the biggest money winner for any player prop on the night was the under on Porter's three-pointers.
He had 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in 19 minutes two days later.
For a March 20 game against the Phoenix Suns, Porter spent three minutes on the court and did not return due to an illness. His prop bets stood at 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He ended up with zero points on zero shots with two rebounds. His prop bets were the highest-earner on DraftKings SportsBooks that night.
Sports betting has been front and center over this month for all the wrong reasons. The Los Angeles Dodgers fired Shohei Ohtani's interpreter Ippei Mizuhara because, as his attorneys put it, the slugger was the "victim of a massive theft" related to Mizuhara's gambling debt.
Elsewhere, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters that sports betting had "crossed the line," revealing bettors had gained access to his personal information, such as his phone number and home address. "I personally have had my own instances with some of the sports gamblers, where they got my telephone number, were sending me crazy messages about where I live, and my kids and all that stuff," Bickerstaff said. "So it is a dangerous game and a fine line that we're walking for sure."
"It brings added pressure, a distraction to the game that can be difficult for players, coaches, referees, and everybody that's involved in it," the coach continued. "I think we really have to be careful with how close we let it get to the game and the security of the people who are involved in it because it does carry weight."
