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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
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Eva Geitheim

Referees for NBA Finals Game 2

NBA referee Zach Zarba. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder is Sunday night. The Pacers claimed Game 1 of the series with a dramatic comeback victory that ended with Tyrese Haliburton hitting the game-winning basket with 0.3 seconds left.

The first game of the Finals was refereed by an experienced crew featuring crew chief John Goble, referee Mark Davis, and umpire David Guthrie. Here's a look at the crew assignments for Sunday's game in Oklahoma City, which starts at 8 p.m. ET.

Who are the referees for Game 2 of the NBA Finals? 

The officiating crew for Game 2 of the NBA Finals is led by Zarba, who has previously officiated 14 NBA Finals games and 159 playoff games. Kevin Scott (#24) will serve as the alternate and Scott Foster will lead the replay center.

What are the Thunder and Pacers' records in games officiated by crew chief Zach Zarba? 

This season, the Thunder are 1-0 in games officiated by Zach Zarba while the Pacers are 2-3 in games Zarba has officiated. Since the 1996-97 season, the Pacers are 39-51 when officiated by Zarba while the Thunder are 47-38.

Tendencies of Game 2 NBA Finals Officiating Crew Through 2024-25 Season

Over the 2024-25 season, home teams averaged 1.1 more free throw attempts, 0.5 fewer personal fouls, and 2.4 more points per game than visiting teams in games officiated by Zarba. During games refereed by Williams, home teams averaged 1.0 fewer free throw attempts, the same amount of points, and 3.6 more points per game than the visiting team. In games officiated by Taylor, the home team averaged 0.7 more free throw attempts, 0.9 fewer personal fouls, and 1.6 more points per game than the visiting team.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Referees for NBA Finals Game 2.

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