The referees for tonight’s Game 2 between the Timberwolves and Thunder will be a major part of the storyline, considering the national discussion after Game 1 was centered around league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s foul-baiting tactics and some of the borderline calls he was given. Will the officials continue to reward SGA’s flailing while allowing a different level of physicality to players like Alex Caruso and Luguentz Dort on the other end of the floor?
The crew for this game includes arguably the NBA’s two most well-known refs, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. The crew chief is Scott Foster, who has been calling games since the 1994-95 season. The referee is Tony Brothers, whose career began that same year. The lesser-known umpire is Pat Fraher, a Minnesota native who called his first game in the 1995-96 season.
The Wolves are 3-0 this season in games called by Foster, including Game 3 of their series against the Warriors. He also called their Game 7 win against the Nuggets last season. Then again, he worked two games in the Thunder-Nuggets series this year (Games 2 and 7), and both were blowout Thunder wins. Rudy Gobert was famously fined late last regular season for making a money gesture at Foster, who is known for his rocky history with Chris Paul, among other things.
The Wolves were 1-2 with Brothers among the crew in the regular season, but he called their Game 2 win over the Warriors and their Game 3 win over the Lakers in these playoffs. They’re 5-2 with Fraher on the call, including a Game 4 win against Golden State.
Statistically, Foster, Brothers, and Fraher were all among the more whistle-prone officials during the regular season. If that plays out tonight, it probably doesn’t favor the Wolves. But after the controversy of Game 1, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this veteran crew swallow their whistles a bit and allow a certain level of physicality on both ends. We’ll see.
It’s another 7:40 p.m.-ish tip-off on ESPN.
