By now we know the trend between Scott Foster and Chris Paul. A Foster trend with Ja Morant and Memphis was uncovered last week. On Sunday, it's James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers' turn.
Foster will serve as the lead official in Game 4 between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat. Based on history alone, that's a benefit to Miami.
Since 2017, Harden is just 1-9 straight up and against the spread in the postseason when Foster is officiating. His one win? Against Paul.
In his career between the Rockets and Sixers, Harden's teams have won and covered three times out of 14 chances.
Not only does Harden's team struggle with Foster in the arena, but the Miami Heat thrive.
In the last 10 years, Miami is 19-7 straight up and 18-8 against the spread in postseason games with Foster officiating. Out of all teams in that span, Miami is the most profitable team in games reffed by Foster.
The betting public doesn't care about those trends, as Philadelphia is getting the most attention in the market. While it's close, over half the bets are on the home team, according to Action Network data.
That's bad news for the Sixers, because guess what? There's a Scott Foster trend for that.
In the NBA Playoffs when Foster is an official, the side receiving the majority of bets is just 65-85-1 against the spread (43.3%). That makes Foster the least-profitable referee for public teams in the playoffs.
Philadelphia, trailing in the series 2-1, is a 2-point favorite on Sunday night.
