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Miami Heat claimed a crushing 146 to 114 win against the Memphis Grizzlies in their first NBA game after player Terry Rozier was detained for suspected unlawful sports betting.

Trail Blazers head coach Billups was also detained as part of a broad federal probe into sports betting. Both men contest the allegations.

But, the Heat were not distracted as they scored eighty-six opening half points to be ahead of Memphis by 39 at halftime, the largest halftime lead in the team's 37 year existence.

Bam Adebayo led the way with 24 points and afterwards stated Terry had the support of the team.

"We support him. Complete backing," Bam stated. "You support him through and through. He's like family at the end of the day."

Heat coach Spoelstra added: "Rozier is a person who is very dear to everyone. He has made a real positive impact on our locker room.

"We send our thoughts and our care for him as he goes through the situation."

Portland also secured their initial match after the detentions, with Brazilian Tiago Splitter taking over as temporary head coach in Chauncey's non-attendance and guiding the squad to a convincing 139 to 119 win over the Warriors.

"Everyone experienced positive times with Chauncey and how he coached," Splitter remarked. "Our thoughts are with him and his family but we have a job to do."

League Commissioner Silver 'Upset' over Recent Events

Speaking about the arrests for the initial occasion, NBA commissioner Silver said he was "deeply disturbed" by the events of the past few days.

"There's nothing more important to the NBA and its fans than the integrity of the game," he informed Amazon Prime. "Therefore I had a pit in my stomach. It was disturbing."

Silver also said an NBA investigation into Rozier's actions in March 2023, when there was "unusual wagering" in a game he played for the Hornets against the New Orleans Pelicans, discovered no wrongdoing.

"We were informed by the regulators and the betting companies," he added.

"We investigated the matter and were very transparent regarding it. And while there was that aberrational betting, we, honestly, 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 league office is unable to.

"So, we've been working with them from that point. Naturally, what they revealed recently was an charge.

"And 30 months after, he has not been found guilty of anything, in fairness to Terry.

"Clearly, it appears unfavorable, but he's been suspended, and so it is a balance here between protecting people's rights and conducting an inquiry."

Other NBA Results

Elsewhere, Los Angeles Lakers star Doncic recorded over forty scores for the consecutive match straight to begin the campaign.

After scoring 43 points in a first defeat to the Golden State, the Slovenian achieved 49 scores - along with 11 rebounds and 8 assists - as the Los Angeles defeated the Timberwolves 128 to 110.

From Greece forward Giannis Antetokounmpo also had a strong performance with 31 points, 20 rebounds and 7 passes in the Milwaukee Bucks' 122 to 116 win over the Raptors.

Rockets were defeated 115 to 111 by the Detroit Pistons despite thirty-seven points from Kevin Durant, while Wembanyama had 29 points, eleven boards and 9 rejections in the San Antonio Spurs' extra-time victory over the Pelicans.