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Referees for NBA Finals Game 2
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?
Name | Assignment | Experience |
|---|---|---|
Zach Zarba (#15) | Crew Chief | 22nd season |
James Williams (#60) | Referee | 15th season |
Ben Taylor (#46) | Umpire | 12th season |
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
Official | Free Throw Attempts | Personal Fouls | Points Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|
Zach Zarba | 39.4 | 34.6 | 226.6 |
James Williams | 41.5 | 35.7 | 224.1 |
Ben Taylor | 40.8 | 37.4 | 225.0 |
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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Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.