Lu Dort Leaving Referee Scott Foster Bloodied with Broken Tooth Sends NBA Twitter in Flames:”Got Hurt by His Own Teammate”

Scott Foster is leading the officiating crew for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals between the Thunder and the Timberwolves.

Lu Dort Leaving Referee Scott Foster Bloodied with Broken Tooth Sends NBA Twitter in Flames:”Got Hurt by His Own Teammate”

Lu Dort left veteran referee Scott Foster bloodied and without a tooth (Image via FirstSportz)

Veteran referee Scott Foster officiates the Western Conference battle between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves. He oversees how the two teams can fairly compete without crossing the line.

In Game 1, fans were not convinced the officiating was fair after MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received free throws on numerous occasions where the Timberwolves did not even touch him. Fans believed Foster would bring some balance in Game 2.

This game was billed as a response game from Anthony Edwards and his teammates after getting embarrassingly blown out in the first game. Considering how physical the playoffs have been in the first two rounds, fans hoped this one would be physical as well as fair.

As soon as the game started, both teams tried to impose their physicality. They hustled on the first few possessions, one of which ended up in a jump ball situation between Lu Dort and Julius Randle. However, in that battle for the ball, Scott Foster ended up getting injured.

He walked off the court with blood pouring out of his mouth. Replays showed that Lu Dort’s hand hit the veteran official in the mouth as it was coming down. Medical staff from both teams came over to attend to Foster and helped him get cleaned up.

Play was paused for that moment, and the Thunder’s courtside staff rushed to clean the blood off the floor. Foster waited a while for the blood to stop flowing and then resumed his duties as the officiating crew chief.

Fans have a whale of a time reacting to Scott Foster’s injury

Basketball fans have various opinions of Scott Foster. Be it his clashes with players, where the league’s commissioner had to step in and stop them. Or his officiating in some games, which fans felt were questionable at best.

Then there was another situation involving LeBron James where the veteran official was also left bloodied. Fans watching this develop took to social media to bring all those factors in and cooked up various theories. Check out examples of those reactions below.

Basketball fans would remember how Scott Foster clashed with Chris Paul. Their clashes have shaped the narrative surrounding the 58-year-old official, who was also once investigated for any alleged involvement in match fixing.

He was cleared of any wrongdoing, but his close friendship with Tim Donaghy was a sticking point. Donaghy was imprisoned after he admitted to betting on games he officiated. There are use that relationship to point fingers at Foster.

Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading their teams at the half

Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals is a must-win for the Minnesota Timberwolves. After struggling to score a single point in the fourth quarter of Game 1, Anthony Edwards came out with a vengeance and has led his teammates so far.

Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading their teams at the half
Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading their teams at the half (Image via Open Source/X)

But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is doing the same and has helped his Oklahoma City Thunder to a 58-50 halftime lead. The problem is that this was similar to how Game 1 was playing out. But in the second half, the home team blitzed the Wolves to win easily.

If Edwards and his teammates want to win this series, they have to win Game 2. Only then can they take the momentum back home and try and win games 3 & 4. But the Thunder know that this is the tactic their opponents would like to employ. The best counter is to win Game 2 and place pressure on the Wolves.

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