D’Angelo Russell comments on ref during Lakers huddle

Interestingly enough, Russell did not appear to be upset with Foster. The Lakers were leading by nine points at that time and had just gotten a call that was about to lead to Anthony Davis free throws. Instead, Russell may have been reminding his teammates to stick to their strategy with Foster refereeing … whatever that might have been.

For what it’s worth, the Lakers shot an absurd 46 free throws in the eventual 122-111 win (more than double Phoenix’s total of 20). Austin Reaves led the way with 13 attempts, Davis had 10 and Russell got seven of his own. Suns head coach Monty Williams even complained about the glaring free throw disparity after the game.

Foster, in his 29th season as a referee in the NBA, is certainly one of the most notorious officials around. Perhaps Russell and the Lakers were well aware of Foster’s supposed vendetta against one particular Phoenix player.