Tiago Splitter Wins Debut as Interim Blazers Coach After Billups Indictment

Overview

• Portland defeated Golden State 139–119 in Splitter’s first game in charge, leveling the Blazers’ record at 1–1.
• The franchise elevated the 2014 NBA champion to interim head coach, making him the first Brazilian to lead an NBA team.
• Billups faces federal charges tied to an alleged illegal high-stakes poker scheme; he has been released on bail and remains suspended.
• Federal authorities also named Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier in a separate indictment linked to the gambling investigation.
• Portland canceled Thursday’s practice and said it is cooperating with authorities, with no timetable set for Billups’s potential return.