Following what could be seen as a controversial victory for the Los Angeles Lakers over the Phoenix Suns in the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament, fans on social media cried conspiracy with some hilarious hot takes.
On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns battled it out in a highly competitive matchup in the quarterfinals of the In-Season tourney. Heading into the fourth quarter, LA held a small lead that they were able to keep in the final seconds with a little help from the referees.
With 15 seconds left, Kevin Durant scored a layup that brought the Suns within two points at 105-103. Following the play, Lebron James imbounded the ball to Austin Reaves and he was immediately hounded by Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Reaves quickly lost his balance and control of the ball soon after receiving the pass and the door seemed wide open for a steal and game-tying score for the Suns.
However, that was all negated when the referees acquiesced to James’ calls for a timeout despite their being major questions about whether the Lakers had the right to even call the TO with Reaves stumbling and mumbling control of the rock.
X trashes Lebron James and Los Angeles Lakers’ questionable win over the Phoenix Suns
The referee’s decision allowed Los Angeles to retain possession of the ball and eventually seal the victory. The win advanced them to the semifinals of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament and set X ablaze with some hilarious cries of a fix being in as the league looked to help one of their most famous franchises get one step closer to the tournament finals.
The loss now means all of the lower-paid players on the Sun’s roster missed out on a chance at a $500,000 payday by reaching and winning the NBA In-Season Tournament.
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