Larry Nance Jr. is confident going into the first round of the NBA playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans. Maybe I’m a little overconfident.
The Pels won the play-in tournament Friday night, earning the No. 8 seed and the right to play the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
It’s no surprise that OKC is the favorite, especially considering Zion Williamson injured his hamstring in the tournament’s first game in New Orleans and will likely miss the first round.
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A man high-fives Jose Alvarado, 22, of the New Orleans Pelicans during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2024 SoFi Play-In Tournament at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on April 16, 2024. (Rayne Murdock Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
But Nance had to quickly walk back his statement of great confidence.
“With all due respect, I’m betting on the Pels. That’s not it.” bet” Nance said. notice immediately What he said drew laughter from reporters.
“No Jontay Porter. I’m not betting on him,” Nance declared. “I don’t bet anything. I don’t own any betting apps. None of that.”
Nance mentioned earlier this week that he had given a player a lifetime ban for his involvement in gambling activities.
Porter was suspended after an NBA investigation found he leaked confidential information to sports bettors and bet on games in violation of league rules.
Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors warms up before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on March 9, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Arika Jenner/Getty Images)
The league previously said the investigation found.of [Toronto] raptorsThe match on March 20th, [Jontay] He disclosed confidential information about his health to someone he knew to be an NBA bettor.
“Another person associated with Porter and known to be an NBA bettor then placed an $80,000 parlay proposition bet at an online sportsbook and won $1.1 million. [Jontay] The performance will be poor in the match on March 20th. ”
In the March 20th game, he claimed to be unwell and played only three minutes. The $80,000 prop bet was frozen and not paid.
Jontay Porter (34) of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball during a game against the Detroit Pistons on March 13, 2024 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. (Brian Sewald/NBAE via Getty Images)
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The NBA said Jontay placed “at least 13 bets on NBA games using an affiliated betting account” between January and March of this year while he was with the Raptors or their G League team, Raptors 905. announced that it had been found.
The Thunder vs. Pelicans series begins Sunday.
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