Larry Nance Jr. is assured in his New Orleans Pelicans within the first spherical of the NBA playoffs. Possibly just a little too assured.
The Pels earned the No. 8 seed after their win within the play-in match Friday night time, incomes a date with the top-seeded Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder for the primary spherical.
OKC is understandably the favourite, particularly contemplating Zion Williamson will doubtless miss the primary spherical with a hamstring harm he suffered in New Orleans’ first sport of the match.
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Jose Alvarado of the New Orleans Pelicans high-fives Larry Nance Jr. (22) throughout a sport towards the Los Angeles Lakers in the course of the 2024 SoFi Play-In Match April 16, 2024, on the Smoothie King Middle in New Orleans. (Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE through Getty Photographs)
However Nance shortly needed to retract a press release that confirmed his large confidence.
“Respectfully, I am betting on the Pels. I am not betting,” Nance mentioned, shortly realizing what he had mentioned and getting fun from reporters.
“No Jontay Porter. I am not betting,” Nance clarified. “I am not betting on something. I do not personal a betting app, none of that.”
Nance was referring to the participant issued a lifetime ban earlier this week for his involvement in wagering.
Porter was banned after the NBA present in an investigation he disclosed confidential info to sports activities bettors and guess on video games in violation of league guidelines.
Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors warms up earlier than a sport towards the Portland Path Blazers on the Moda Middle March 9, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (Alika Jenner/Getty Photographs)
The league mentioned an investigation found earlier than “the [Toronto] Raptors’ March 20 sport, [Jontay] disclosed confidential details about his personal well being standing to a person he knew to be an NBA bettor.
“One other particular person with whom Porter related and recognized to be an NBA bettor subsequently positioned an $80,000 parlay proposition guess with a web-based sports activities guide, to win $1.1 million, wagering [Jontay] would underperform within the March 20 sport.”
He solely performed three minutes within the March 20 sport, claiming to have been sick. The $80,000 prop guess was frozen and never paid out.
Jontay Porter (34) of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball throughout a sport towards the Detroit Pistons March 13, 2024, at Little Caesars Enviornment in Detroit. (Brian Sevald/NBAE through Getty Photographs)
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The NBA mentioned it discovered that, from January to March of this 12 months, whereas Jontay was both with the Raptors or its G League staff, Raptors 905, he positioned “a minimum of 13 bets on NBA video games utilizing an affiliate’s betting account.”
The Thunder-Pelicans collection begins Sunday.
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