EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – After Luka Doncic raised concerns about the slippery surface of the special, alternate NBA Cup court the Los Angeles Lakers played on earlier this week, the Lakers will use their traditional court for their NBA Cup group game against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.
The bright yellow NBA Cup court was examined by technicians at the league’s court vendor and deemed unplayable for Friday, according to the team.
The provider is expected to repair the court and make it available if Los Angeles hosts an NBA Cup quarterfinal game at Crypto.com Arena.
“Player safety is our top priority,” a league spokesperson told ESPN. “In consultation with the Lakers, we identified areas of their NBA Cup court that required additional finishing touches, so the team will use their standard court for tonight’s game. The NBA Cup court is currently being rehabilitated and will be ready for use in the quarterfinals if they host.”
“It was bad,” Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said Friday when asked on the playing surface during the Lakers’ 135-118 victory over the LA Clippers. “I felt it right away when I was warming up. It was just weird. It was like grease, slippery. Everyone was literally on the floor.”
After Tuesday’s win, Doncic went so far as to call the court “unsafe” to play on.
The Lakers are 3-0 in the NBA Cup group stage and have already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.
They can clinch the field in the quarterfinals with a victory against Dallas in their final group game on Friday.
