Pelicans vs. Suns NBA Game 2 trends, spread, odds: Chris Paul has lost 12 straight playoff games with Scott Foster as referee

Do I think that NBA referee Scott Foster has a personal grudge against Phoenix Suns point guard and former president of the NBA Players' Association Chris Paul? I do not, but Paul is on record that things tend to get fishy in playoff games in which he plays and Foster is a referee. Rather amazingly, Paul-led teams have lost 12 straight playoff games and are 2-15 all-time when Foster is working the game, and he is tonight for Game 2 of the Pelicans-Suns from the desert. Phoenix is -9.5 at Caesars Sportsbook. Click here for model picks. 

Foster refereed three Suns playoff games last year: Phoenix lost 109-95 in the first round to the Lakers; lost 120-100 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals vs. Milwaukee; and was eliminated in Game 6 of the Finals vs. the Bucks with a 105-98 defeat.

For what it's worth, Paul had just seven points with two fouls and was minus-20 in that Lakers loss; he had 19 points, two fouls and was minus-13 in that Game 3 Bucks loss; and Paul had 26 points, five fouls and was minus-8 in the Game 6 loss.

"If I was a betting man, 11 games in a row (lost when Foster is the ref)," Paul said after Game 3 vs. the Bucks. "Eleven games in a row."

Foster is considered one of the NBA's better referees. He ranked eighth this regular season in fouls called per 48 minutes at 14.52. Home teams won 58.1 percent of the games Foster refereed and had an average of 19.7 fouls called on them. The visiting team averaged 19.0.

Including playoffs, he has been a referee in 45 games this season. The home team is 27-18 straight up and 25-20 against the spread. The average total points scored is 219.76 with the Over/Under at 20-24-1. The total is 221 tonight. 

Foster made some news in Game 1 of the Nuggets-Warriors series on Saturday when he ejected Denver backup center DeMarcus Cousins with two quick technicals, and Foster has some history with Cousins as he infamously ejected Cousins when he was on the Warriors' bench in 2018 despite the fact that Cousins was not even active. Golden State fans also used to believe Foster was against their team.

This is the 22nd season that Foster is a referee in the playoffs, and he has worked more postseason games than any other active ref. 

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