The veteran referee Scott Foster got under the scrutiny of NBA enthusiasts after being on the court during the drama-filled game between the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night at the Paycom Center.

Referee Scott Foster goes viral in Mavs game

Scott Foster (Image Source: X/PlayoffShai)

While the game officials usually don’t set foot on the court unless it’s absolutely necessary, Foster assumably missed the whistle at the beginning of the game and got caught up near the free-throw line. On noticing that the game started and the OKC players had the ball in their possession, the referee ran off the court.

Little did Foster know that his couple of seconds would bring so much trouble upon him. This unusual incident from such an experienced referee soon got circulated on social media and the fans brought out their theories to criticize Foster.

Social Media Reacts to Foster Inadvertently Helping Mavs Defense

As the clip of Scott Foster went viral on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), some NBA fans accused the game official of helping the Mavericks win the game. In contrast, others called him a terrible referee and harshly taunted him. Here’s what some of the NBA fans said on X:

The game already witnessed an injured Luka Doncic unleash his demons to secure a 119-110 victory for the Mavericks amid ridicule from the courtside fans. To top it off, the referee’s action ignited the fans. Despite the fan-based theories, Foster’s presence made no difference in the game. The referee ran around Mavs’ PJ Washington without coming in contact with any player.

The night ended on a good note for the away team, who evened the series 1-1. Now, the Mavs would be eagerly waiting for the OKC to visit their court, the American Airlines Center, where they could continue their battle in Game 3, hopefully without any interference from the game officials.