It is a crazy time to be a sports fan with Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups being arrested on gambling-related charges this morning.
Rozier, who was arrested Thursday morning at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, is accused of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using insider NBA information. As part of the scheme, gamblers used nonpublic information to bet on at least seven NBA games between March 2023 and March 2024 involving the Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic, Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors, according to the indictment. In three of the seven games, players intentionally removed themselves from contests to benefit the gamblers’ bets, according to the indictment.
Billups, who was arrested in Oregon, is charged in a separate indictment alleging a wide-ranging scheme to rig underground poker games that were backed by Mafia families, authorities said. The defendants are accused of using technology to steal millions from victims in the New York area, Nocella said.
I used to think that the introduction of online sports betting wouldn’t lead to an increase in scandals like this one since betting was already available illegally. I was wrong because I failed to take into account how easy it would be to rig player props. It’s way easier than shaving points off a spread since that is something that a whole team might need to cooperate on. With these player props, you can just fake an injury and make your under hit, which is allegedly what Rozier did. If stuff like this isn’t cleaned up, the NBA could be ruined.
How do you even make that leap? Because of Kash Patel holding a press conference? Shouldn’t you want the NBA cleaned up if guys are throwing the ball away to tank their player props? Insane. https://t.co/7dJG5vk4TH
— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) October 23, 2025
Stephen A. Smith seems to think that the gambling arrests are due to Donald Trump wanting revenge on the NBA. This would be a wild leap to make even if the FBI investigation wasn’t initiated before Trump took office. I don’t know if Smith feels the need to defend ESPN and its investment in sports betting, but he should be more worried about the integrity of the NBA and its players than the intentions of the FBI.
It’s a bad day to be Adam Silver, but it’s a great day to be a Knicks fan. They won their opener against Cleveland last night 119-111. That’s a big deal because the Cavaliers are considered by many to be New York’s top competitor for Eastern Conference supremacy. The Knicks saw their 15-point halftime lead disappear in the third quarter, but they bounced back with a 14-2 run to start the fourth that set them on the path to victory.
The game got a little dicey when Dean Wade and Sam Merrill hit back-to-back three-point shots to cut the Knicks’ lead to five with two minutes left, but OG Anunoby answered with a three of his own and Cleveland never got that close again. Anunoby ended up leading New York in scoring with 24 points and also grabbed 14 rebounds. The Knicks won this game despite a shooting disadvantage thanks to their dominance at the free throw line and on the offensive boards.
Here are my Week 8 NFL picks.
Vikings at Chargers -3.5
This game is going great for me and would be going even better if I had benched Jordan Mason in fantasy.
Dolphins +7.5 at Falcons
Many fans will write the Dolphins off after their terrible performance in Cleveland this week. I think they are much better suited to playing indoors.
Jets +6.5 at Bengals
Do we know who is playing quarterback for the Jets yet? Whoever it is will look good against a Cincinnati defense that is still lousy.
Browns at Patriots -7.5
The Patriots have covered twice in a row as favorites since upsetting Buffalo. They are for real.
Giants +7.5 at Eagles
This is a letdown spot for the Giants, but I’m taking them anyway because I’m too much of a fan.
Bills at Panthers +7.5
Buffalo ain’t beaten nobody and has only covered one spread all season.
Bears at Ravens -6.5
Chicago has won four in a row and is getting a touchdown against the most disappointing team in the NFL? Of course I’m taking Baltimore.
49ers -1.5 at Texans
This is a square play, but I’m back on the San Francisco bandwagon and it probably only has to win outright.
Buccaneers at Saints +5.5
The Saints have lost outright and against the spread in their two games since beating my Giants. Hopefully a home dog spot against a rival will change the trend.
Cowboys at Broncos -3.5
Cowboys at home was an easy win last week. Cowboys on the road should be an easy fade this week.
Titans +14.5 at Colts
I can’t stop picking Tennessee no matter how horrible it is.
Packers at Steelers +3.5
Home dog Mike Tomlin against a Green Bay team that still hasn’t covered since the first two weeks of the season when everyone thought it was going to the Super Bowl.
Commanders +10.5 at Chiefs
Marcus Mariota isn’t a huge downgrade from Jayden Daniels.
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