NBA ref Scott Foster making injury return for Nuggets-Thunder Game 2

On Wednesday evening, the Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their Western Conference second round series. The Nuggets took a 1-0 lead thanks to a last-second shot from Aaron Gordon in Game 1, completing what was a mini-collapse by the Thunder in the final minutes.

Game 2 is also making headlines because it will mark the first game for perhaps the NBA’s most well-known referee, Scott Foster, in nearly two months.

“Scott Foster is ACTIVE and will be officiating Nuggets-Thunder Game 2 after being out 7 weeks,” reported Bleacher Report on X, formerly Twitter.

The publication noted that it will be Foster’s first game in action since suffering a calf injury on March 18 while officiating a game between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat.

Foster hasn’t exactly garnered a spotless reputation with fans or players in the NBA, as some have taken note of Chris Paul’s propensity to lose in games that Foster officiates. Some fans have even jokingly nicknamed Foster “The Extender” due to the perceived idea that some series are extended past potential closeout games when Foster officiates.

However, the majority of the attention Wednesday evening will be on the Nuggets and Thunder, who put together a thrilling basketball product during Game 1 on Monday.

This series features the two MVP frontrunners in Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and both showed up to play in Game 1. Jokic had 42 points, including several clutch baskets, in the victory, while Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 33 points of his own.

The matchup will likely come down to whose supporting cast is able to rise to the occasion, and on Monday, the answer was Denver down the stretch.

In any case, Game 2 of the series is slated for 9:30 PM ET from Oklahoma City, with Scott Foster back in action. The game will be carried nationally by TNT.