That’s a lot of misses
The Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier had such an awful game Wednesday night that basketball fans have expressed concern – mostly jokingly – that the investigation into his possibly manipulating games for betting purposes could have some legs.
pretty close to his season averages
At first glance, the basic numbers might not look that bad: 12 points, one rebound, and two assists. Rozier averages 11.8/3.9/2.8 on the season, so he was pretty close to his season averages.
But then you see he made just three of his 14 shots, including one of eight from three-point range, plus four turnovers, and the picture comes into better focus.
Not what he did, but how he did it
But even that isn’t enough. Even the best players have off nights, right? Of course. But it was how bad many of those shots were and how egregious the turnovers were that is making fans raise an eyebrow and think about the federal investigation into Rozier. Check it out:
Replies to the above compilation, as well as separate social media posts that shared the video, tend to joke about Rozier and gambling.
“He’s throwing games,” one person said. “That’s what sports betting looks like,” replied another.
One poster on X wrote: “Them Terry Rozier gambling allegations gotta be real. Bro in DEBT. He in way too deep with them people.”
It goes on and on. Odds are (pun intended) that Rozier just had a really bad game, as a transparently intentional performance like that would be dumber than the actual betting, but it’s at least entertaining to consider.
Investigation dates back two years
In late January, the Wall Street Journal reported that Rozier was under federal investigation for possibly manipulating his performance as part of the ever-expanding betting ring that has encompassed both NBA and collegiate games. This is the same group that was involved with the Toronto Raptors’ Jontay Porter, who withdrew himself from two games to make sure his stats didn’t hit the “over” on several prop bets.
The specific game in question took place on March 23, 2023 between the Charlotte Hornets, Rozier’s team at the time, and the New Orleans Pelicans. Rozier, who was having one of his best scoring seasons, averaging 21.1 points in 35.3 minutes per game, left the contest after nine minutes because of a supposed foot injury.
Some outlets stopped taking bets on Rozier props.
U.S. Integrity, a sports betting monitoring firm, saw that there was unusually high betting activity on Rozier “under” prop bets and notified sportsbooks. Some outlets stopped taking bets on Rozier props.
Rozier missed the final eight games of the season as the Hornets finished with the fourth-worst record in the league.
The NBA knew of the betting red flags and conducted its own investigation. It did not find that Rozier violated any rules. The league said it is now cooperating with the federal investigation.
Rozier has not been charged with or accused of a crime.