The Los Angeles Lakers are continuing to battle for a spot in the Play-In Tournament over the final stretch of the regular season, and their 122-111 win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night will certainly help them out. Officiating was a hot topic in this game, and one guy who chimed in on the matter in an unexpected way was D'Angelo Russell.

Russell had a big game for the Lakers (26 PTS, 6 AST, 1 REB, 9-13 FGM) and helped guide them to a much needed win over the Suns. Russell also got sent to the free throw line seven times in this game, which seemed to be a big complaint for Phoenix throughout the game. Late in the fourth quarter as the game was headed to a commercial break, Russell was caught on a hot mic poking fun at the Suns by pointing out that Scott Foster was officiating this game.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Stephen A. Smith, Lakers, Nuggets, LeBron James, LeBron Lakers

Jackson Stone ·

Dejounte Murray with question marks around him

Shervon Fakhimi ·

Lakers' LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell with Nuggets' Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic

Michael Corvo ·

Foster has a rather notorious reputation across the NBA, particularly when it comes to working games played by Chris Paul and the Suns. The free throw disparity in this game was rather large, as LA shot 46 free throws compared to just 20 by Phoenix. So what could be the reasoning for that? According to Russell here, Foster was just doing what he always seems to do.

If you are a Lakers fan, this is a pretty humorous take from Russell, but if you are a Suns fan, chances are your disdain for Foster only continues to grow. This isn't to say that the refs decided the game, but the difference in free throws was quite noticeable to the point that Russell noted Foster's presence in the game. Either way, both teams will look to put this game in the rearview mirror and focus on continuing their playoff pushes over the final few games of the season.