The New Orleans Pelicans announced Thursday that the team has waived a former NBA champion guard after one game.

Thursday offers just two games, but both feature championship storylines and MVP star power. Out East, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Indiana Pacers in a rematch of last season's NBA Finals. Indiana begins life without Tyrese Haliburton, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks to continue his MVP pace.

The Department of Justice announced 34 arrests in two separate illegal gambling investigations, including that of Miami Heat veteran Terry Rozier on bank and wire fraud for allegedly manipulating his prop bets for his and other gamblers’ benefit. Six were charged in the sports betting fraud case.

In an indictment released Thursday, prosecutors outlined the circumstances under which seven NBA games allegedly were part of an illegal gambling scheme.

Seven games were specifically cited by prosecutors as having paid off big for gamblers allegedly using non-public information from inside the NBA.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who ranges from +190 to +275 at top sportsbooks, got his season underway with 35 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a dramatic double-overtime win over the Houston Rockets in the NBA’s season-opener.

The FBI arrested Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Heat guard Terry Rozier as part of extensive NBA gambling scandal with mafia ties.