🔗 Share this article

The Heat secured a crushing 146-114 victory against the Grizzlies in their first basketball game after guard Terry Rozier was detained over suspected unlawful gambling.

Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was also arrested as part of a sweeping federal probe into sports betting. The two individuals contest the allegations.

But, the Miami team were not distracted as they scored eighty-six opening half points to lead Memphis by thirty-nine after two quarters, the biggest halftime lead in the franchise's 37-year existence.

Adebayo top-scored with twenty-four points and afterwards stated Rozier had the team's full backing.

"We support him. Full support," Bam said. "You support him through and through. That's our brother ultimately."

Heat coach Spoelstra commented: "Rozier is somebody who is important to everyone. He has made a real positive impact on our team.

"We send our thoughts and support for him as he faces this."

The Trail Blazers also secured their initial match since the arrests, with Brazil-born Splitter stepping in as temporary head coach in Chauncey's non-attendance and guiding the squad to a convincing 139-119 victory against the Warriors.

"We all had great experiences with Chauncey and his coaching style," Tiago remarked. "Our thoughts are with him and his family but our focus is on the game."

League Commissioner Adam Silver 'Disturbed' over Arrests

Addressing the detentions for the initial occasion, league head Adam Silver stated he was "very upset" by the incidents of the recent days.

"There's nothing more important to the league and supporters than the integrity of the game," he informed Amazon Prime. "Therefore I had a pit in my stomach. It was very upsetting."

Silver also mentioned an NBA investigation into Rozier's conduct in March 2023, when there was "aberrational betting" in a game he participated for the Hornets versus the Pelicans, discovered no wrongdoing.

"It was brought to our attention by the authorities and the betting companies," he added.

"We investigated that situation and were very transparent about it. Although there was the unusual wagering, we, frankly, couldn't find anything.

"The federal government has subpoena power... [it] can threaten to put people in jail, can do all kinds of things that the NBA is unable to.

"Therefore, we've been working with them since then. Naturally, what they revealed recently was an indictment.

"And 30 months later, he has not been found guilty of anything, in justice to Rozier.

"Obviously, it appears unfavorable, but he's been suspended, and so it is a compromise in this case between protecting people's rights and investigating."

Additional League Results

In other games, Lakers player Doncic recorded more than 40 scores for the consecutive match in a row to start the season.

After racking up 43 scores in a season-opening defeat to the Golden State, the Slovenian put up 49 points - along with eleven rebounds and 8 assists - as the Los Angeles beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-110.

Greek player Antetokounmpo also had a big night with 31 scores, twenty rebounds and seven passes in the Bucks' 122-116 win over the Toronto Raptors.

Rockets were defeated 115 to 111 by the Detroit Pistons even with thirty-seven scores from Kevin Durant, while Victor Wembanyama had twenty-nine points, eleven boards and 9 blocks in the Spurs' extra-time victory against the New Orleans.