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NEW YORK: In their first game since guard Terry Rozier was arrested in an FBI sports gambling probe, his Miami Heat teammates unleashed a scoring barrage in a 146-114 NBA win at Memphis on Friday.

Bam Adebayo scored 24 points and reserve Nikola Jovic added 20 to lead eight double-digit scorers as the Heat (1-1) produced the third-highest one-game point total in team history.

Miami also scored a one-half team record 86 points in the first two quarters in taking a 86-47 halftime lead, the largest in Heat history dating to 1988.

As the scandal swirled around the league on the fourth day of the 2025-26 campaign, Adebayo made it clear Rozier has Heat players’ backing him.

“We stand behind him. Full support,” Adebayo said. “You support him through and through. That’s our brother at the end of the day.”

Rozier and Portland head coach Chauncey Billups were placed on indefinite leave by the NBA after being arrested Thursday in the gambling investigation.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the hectic NBA schedule leaves the team no choice but to move ahead quickly without Rozier, who didn’t play in a season-opening loss on Wednesday.

“Terry is somebody who is very dear to all of us,” Spoelstra said. “He’s had a real positive impact on our locker room... We send our thoughts and our care for him as he goes through this.”

Portland routed visiting Golden State 139-119 in the first Trail Blazers contest since Billups was arrested, with Brazilian Tiago Splitter guiding the effort as Portland’s interim head coach.

“We all had great experiences with Chauncey and how he coached,” Splitter said. “We’re thinking of him and his family but we have a job to do.”

Israeli forward Deni Avdija’s 26 points led eight Trail Blazers scorers in double figures.

“It’s a tough moment but I got to do my job,” Splitter said. “I’m looking forward to showing my skills and leading a team... I wasn’t expecting this but I have to be ready.”

At Los Angeles, Luka Doncic scored 49 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and passed off eight assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers over Minnesota 128-110.

Doncic, who scored 43 points in a season-opening loss to Golden State, became the first Laker to open a season with back-to-back 40-point efforts.

The 26-year-old Slovenian guard scored 23 points in the first quarter to match a team record shared by Kobe Bryant and Kyle Kuzma.

“They didn’t have much when I was attacking the paint in the first half,” Doncic said. “In the second half, we had energy.”

Donovan Mitchell’s 35 points powered Cleveland to a 131-124 victory at Brooklyn.

Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and passed off seven assists while Cole Anthony added 23 points off the bench to lead Milwaukee’s 122-116 victory at Toronto.

Jalen Brunson’s 31 points plus 26 points and 13 rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns led New York over visiting Boston 105-95.

Frenchman Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and blocked nine shots to spark San Antonio’s 120-116 overtime triumph at New Orleans.

Detroit’s Cade Cunningham had 21 points and Ausar Thompson added 19 to power the Pistons’ 115-111 victory at Houston, which had 37 points from Kevin Durant.

‘Real life examples’

Kyshawn George had 34 points and 11 rebounds to spark Washington to a 117-107 victory at Dallas, where Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said he hopes the scandal does not diminish attention to players.

“Hopefully that doesn’t overshadow what these young men are doing because it’s a beautiful game. They’re playing the game at a high level... Hopefully they can get that fixed.”

Kidd said the scandal might reinforce NBA instruction about gambling issues.

“The league does an incredible job of talking about that. There’s a lot of literature that goes out,” Kidd said. “The league has done a great job of teaching and showing and now we have real life examples. We’ll learn from this and be better.”

Domantas Sabonis sank the winning jumper with 6.4 seconds remaining to give Sacramento a 105-104 home win over Utah. Zach LaVine led the Kings with 31 points. Sabonis had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

LONDON: Voters in Ireland went to the polls Friday to elect one of two women as their new president for the next seven years, a largely ceremonial role in the European Union member country.
Catherine Connolly, a left-wing independent lawmaker who has the backing of Sinn Féin and is known for her strong stance against Israel, is widely seen as the leading candidate to become the head of state. The latest polls show she holds a significant lead with about 40 percent of support from voters, ahead of the 20 percent to 25 percent for her rival Heather Humphreys, representing center-right party Fine Gael.
The two are the only contenders after Jim Gavin, the candidate for Prime Minister Micheál Martin’sFianna Fail party, quit the race earlier this month over a long-ago financial dispute. Others — including musician Bob Geldof and the former mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor — failed to receive enough backing for a nomination.
The winner will succeed Michael D. Higgins, who has been president since 2011, having served the maximum two seven-year terms. Connolly or Humphreys will be Ireland’s 10th president and the third woman to hold the post.
Here’s what to know about the election:
Parties on the left back Connolly
Connolly, 68, is a former barrister who has been an independent lawmaker since 2016. She has drawn criticism for her views on Palestinians and the militant group Hamas, among other issues.
She was previously seen as an unlikely presidential candidate, but became the front-runner after Gavin dropped out. Though Gavin stopped campaigning, his name remains on the ballot paper.
In September, Martin criticized Connolly’s comments that called Hamas “part of the fabric of the Palestinian people,” saying she appeared reluctant to condemn the militant group’s actions in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that ignited the two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. She later maintained that she “utterly condemned” Hamas’ actions, while also criticizing Israel for carrying out what she said was a genocide in Gaza.
Opponents have said she risked alienating Ireland’s allies after she warned about the EU’s growing “militarization.” Some have also questioned her past role as a lawyer representing banks that repossessed people’s homes.
Connolly has garnered endorsements from left-leaning parties, including Sinn Féin, the Labour Party and the Social Democrats.
She said this week she “will be an absolutely independent president with an independent mind.” Her campaign website says she “wants to be a president for all the people, especially for those often excluded and silenced” and a “voice for equality and justice.”
Connolly began her political career when she was elected as a local political representative on the Galway City Council in 1999. Five years later, she was elected mayor of the city of Galway.
Humphreys stresses centrist approach
Humphreys, 64, has been in government for more than a decade, formerly serving in several Cabinet positions where she oversaw arts and heritage, business and rural development.
She was first elected as a local politician in 2004 and was a member of parliament from 2011 until 2024. She has stressed that she is a pro-business, pro-EU candidate.
Raised a Presbyterian in the mostly Catholic country, she said she would strive for unity and “build bridges” with communities in Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK and has a large Protestant population.
“I’m a center-ground person. I’m a middle-of-the-road person, like most Irish people,” she said in this week’s final presidential debate.
While Humphreys underlined her years of experience in government, Connolly criticized her as a representation of “more of the same,” saying she is aligned with the outlook of recent governments.
The president’s role
Ireland’s president plays an important ceremonial and constitutional role and represents the Irish state on the world stage.
The president appoints the prime minister, called the Taoiseach, after a vote in parliament, as well as other government officials and judges on the government’s advice.
The president also signs into law bills passed by lawmakers, and can call fresh elections if the prime minister no longer has the support of lawmakers.
While the role does not have the power to shape laws or policies, past presidents have been known to air their views on important issues. Higgins has spoken out on the war in Gaza and NATO spending, among other things.
When results will be known
Polls close at 10 p.m. (2100GMT) Friday. Counting begins Saturday, and the result is likely to be known by late Saturday.
The new president will be inaugurated at a ceremony in Dublin Castle the day after.