Lakers vs. Grizzlies: Who are the referees for Game 2 in 2023 NBA Playoffs?

After stealing one on the road, the No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers will battle the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies in Game 2 of the opening playoff round at FedExForum. Notably, superstar Ja Morant left Game 1 with a hand injury and is a game-time decision for Wednesday night. Still, Memphis was 11-10 without Morant in the lineup this season. Can the Grizzlies take one back before heading to LA?

At DraftKings Sportsbook, the Lakers are 1-point favorites in Game 2. Naturally, the moneylines are narrow in this contest with Los Angeles priced at -115 while Memphis is -105 to win at home. The point total is set at 226. For the overall series, the Lakers are a confident -295 favorite to advance to the next round, leaving the Grizzlies as +230 to move on.

The officiating crew for the game will be led by crew chief Josh Tiven. He will joined by referee Courtney Kirkland and umpire Justin Van Duyne. Kevin Cutler will serve as the alternate.

Tiven is a 14-year NBA veteran that served as crew chief for 32 games in 2022-23. Over that sample size, the home team won 43.8% of the time, which is among the lowest marks in the association.

Kirkland officiated 16 games as apart of the crew in 2022-23, and 46 games as crew chief. In his 16 games not as chief, there were an average of 39.1 fouls called.

Van Duyne was on crew for 58 games this past NBA season. In those games, the home team won only 43.1% of the time.

Here's a look at the full officiating crew ahead of Wednesday's action, via the official NBA release. All referee stats come courtesy of NBA Stuffer and odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

  
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