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Jontay Porter during a game against the Detroit Pistons
Photo: Rick Osentoski / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters
The North American basketball league NBA is investigating possible betting fraud by Toronto Raptors professional Jontay Porter. A league spokesman said unusual bets on Porter's performance were registered at games played by the Raptors, Dennis Schröder's former club, this season. There is a suspicion that the 24-year-old was substituted to make winnings possible.
As »ESPN« reported, among others, unknown people had bet unusually large amounts on Porter remaining below a certain number of points, rebounds, assists and three-point shots. Specifically, it's about Toronto's home games against the Los Angeles Clippers on January 26th and the Sacramento Kings on March 20th.
No more than four minutes to use
A US betting provider said that these bets on Porter had the highest payout on both days, according to ESPN. At least one other provider noted unusual betting interest in the games in question.
In both games, Porter didn't play for more than four minutes and was substituted early on. Once because of an eye injury, once because of illness. He remained pointless in both games; he recorded three rebounds and one assist against the Clippers and only two rebounds against Sacramento.
»I never doubt injuries. “I never doubt the honesty of the players,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said on Monday. He had never been in a situation like this before. "All I know is that no one wants situations like this to happen to anyone or any team."
During the Raptors' game against the Clippers, which was under observation, Porter's then teammate and national team captain Schröder was also on the field. At the beginning of February he moved to the Brooklyn Nets. Porter Toronto missed the last two games due to “personal reasons”.
Porter made his NBA debut in 2021 for the Memphis Grizzlies. He has been under contract with the Raptors since December.
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