Spurs confirm their presence ahead of the NBA season

Supported by Devin Harper (19 points), the Spurs entertained their fans from the start of the game, leading 71-37 at halftime, a lead they maintained comfortably.

This was the fifth preseason game and the second consecutive win for the Texas-based team, which is considered the favorite for the upcoming season after reaching the finals in June (a 1-4 loss to the New York Knicks).

"Wemby" will face the other current giant in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on Tuesday-Wednesday night in a spectacular season opener.

The Spurs had won the Western Conference Finals in Game 7 against Oklahoma, led by Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a two-time league MVP who will be keen to redeem himself.

The Association demands a ban on certain betting categories

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has asked its sports betting partners to ban certain categories of bets this season following recent betting scandals, according to a media report.

This ban includes player statistics, as well as bets on players performing below the expected threshold, due to the involvement of former players in betting cases, including Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter, who was banned for life in 2024, according to ESPN.

The league directed its authorized betting partners, including FanDuel and DraftKings, not to offer bets on certain categories such as the winner of the opening tip-off, players missing specific free throws, or others expected to play fewer than 12 minutes during a game.

Scott Kaufman-Ross, the league's executive vice president, told ESPN: "There is a balance between making sure we remove problematic betting categories, but also ensuring we don't push activity into the illegal market."

He added, "We believe where we have landed now is the right balance between those two goals."

Sportsbooks will be prohibited from offering higher-profit bets on predictions of player underperformance or failing to meet expected numbers.

The league's agreements with sportsbooks allow the NBA to restrict the bets they offer.

Federal prosecutors said a bettor wagered $80,000 on 6 statistical categories for Porter in a Toronto Raptors game during the 2023-2024 season, with a potential win of $1.1 million.

Porter played only 3 minutes before later admitting he intentionally performed poorly for the benefit of bettors.

Prosecutors allege that Rozier was involved in a similar situation while playing for the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, although he has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.

In another memo to teams, the NBA pointed to new integrity measures starting this season, where former NFL star and retired FBI agent Charles Tillman led training on sports betting rules and enhanced artificial intelligence to search for unusual betting patterns related to the league.

The memo stated that the league seeks to provide better protection for players, coaches, and other staff from threats or harassment by bettors.