The 31 defendants in an alleged mob-linked card cheating case — which also ensnared some NBA figures — just might be getting a little smaller in terms of the individuals involved, it was disclosed Monday.

During a hearing in federal court in Brooklyn, prosecutors said some of the defendants — they didn’t disclose identities — were involved in the early stages of plea negotiations which could resolve the cases against them, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gibaldi.

Word of plea negotiations came after one of the defendants, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, 49, entered a not guilty plea through his defense attorney to the charges he faces in the indictment. The other defendants in the case had earlier entered not guilty pleas. Billups, dressed in a gray sport

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