:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72219984/1228928526.0.jpg "Warriors vs. Kings: Who are the referees for Game 5 in 2023 NBA Playoffs?")
In what has been a viciously competitive series, the No. 6 Golden State Warriors will head back up the Causeway to once again battle the No. 3 Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. With the series currently tied 2-2, Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET on TNT. Notably, we have yet to see any road team log a victory in this playoff matchup. Can the Dubs keep Sacramento from lighting the beam?
At DraftKings Sportsbook, the Warriors are slim 1.5-point favorites against the Kings in Sactown. Naturally, the moneylines are narrowly priced-Golden State is -125 to win straight up while Sacramento is paying just above even money (+105) to win at home. The total for Wednesday night is set at 234.5. Prior to Game 5, the Dubs are -220 to advance to the conference semifinals, while the Kings show a price of +180 to win the currently tied series.
The officiating crew for the game will be led by crew chief Tony Brothers. He will be joined by referee Mark Lindsay and umpire Tyler Ford. Brent Barnaky will serve as the alternate.
Brothers is in his 29th year officiating NBA games. In 2022-23, he was crew chief for a league leading 64 contests. Over that sample size, home teams held a winning percentage of 64.1.
Lindsay has been among the NBA ranks for over 15 years. This past regular season, he split his time with 20 games as chief and 14 on the crew. For those 14 games on crew in 2022-23, the average combined point total was 235.3, which is near tonight's total of 234.5.
Ford, who has officiated NBA games for just under a decade, had a busy 2022-23. Through 56 games on the crew this past regular season, the average combined point total was a lofty 231.6. Keep in mind, the Kings and Warriors are two of the fastest, most lethal offenses in the game.
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.