Scott Foster's Unexpected Collision Steals Early Spotlight
If you tuned in to Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals expecting all eyes to be on the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, you probably weren't betting on NBA referee Scott Foster grabbing the first round of headlines—especially less than two minutes in. But that's exactly what happened when Foster found himself at the center of an accidental, yet painfully memorable, mid-court collision.
The sequence started innocently enough: Thunder forward Lu Dort and Timberwolves center Julius Randle met for a jump ball. As Dort leapt and reached, his arm unexpectedly caught Foster flush in the nose. In an instant, Foster’s face was streaked with blood, a rare sight that briefly derailed the game's opening momentum. He hustled off the court with a towel pressed to his face, and an arena already amped by playoff energy quieted down as officials scrambled to address the situation.
Even after a quick patch-up—medics plugging his nose and fashioning a makeshift bandage—Foster came back to resume his role, albeit with a visible sense of discomfort. Fans on social media didn’t miss a beat, commenting on everything from Foster’s toughness to the awkwardness of seeing a referee grimace through post-injury pain with millions of eyes watching live.
A Game Full of Layers: Thunder’s Victory, Chris Paul's Cameo, and Shai's Surprise
Though the incident with Foster set the tone for a weird few moments, the game itself stayed on track. The Thunder looked locked in, ultimately overpowering Minnesota 118-103 and grabbing a solid 2-0 lead in the series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City’s MVP candidate, played another standout game and kept his squad out front when it mattered most.
The night wasn’t short on soap opera either. Veteran star Chris Paul showed up courtside, and anyone with even a casual knowledge of NBA drama knows about the occasionally frosty history between him and Foster. Social media ran wild with jokes, memes, and speculative glances between the two, amplifying the game's off-court entertainment factor.
After the final buzzer, reporters caught up with Gilgeous-Alexander, who admitted he didn’t realize at first that Paul—someone he’s looked up to throughout his career—was sitting near his own wife until the game was underway. Far from being starstruck or distracted, Shai gave a nod to Paul’s influence, highlighting the NBA’s tight-knit web of mentorships and rivalries playing out around the actual play.
With Game 3 set to hit Minneapolis on May 25, all eyes will be on whether the Timberwolves can flip the script at home. But for a moment in Game 2, it wasn’t the star players or the series score that grabbed attention—it was a tough referee, a bloody nose, and the unpredictable twists that make playoff basketball so addictive.