Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić isn’t a fan of the team’s alternate court for the NBA Cup, and it has nothing to do with his looks. Following the Lakers win 135-118 against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, Dončić wasn’t a fan of the way the court played, calling it too slippery.
Dončić said he — and other players — slipped several times during the contest, calling the Lakers’ alternate court “dangerous,” according to ESPN.
“It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous,” Lakers star Luka Dončić said after the game. “I slipped. I slipped a few times and you could see a lot of players slipping. And it’s dangerous, man.”
Dončić, 26, said he noticed the problem before the match and asked if a court assistant could examine the pitch again before the match started. This didn’t solve the problem.
Advertisement
Lakers head coach JJ Redick was interviewed on the court after the game. He said he thought the pitch hadn’t dried properly because of condensation. The Lakers share Crypto.com Arena with the Los Angeles Kings, who played a home game on Monday. The rink was moved to the Lakers’ NBA Cup court before Tuesday’s game.
Despite the surface of the land, the The Lakers managed to achieve victory. Dončić led the way for Los Angeles, dropping 43 points in the victory. The win brought the Lakers to 3-0 in the NBA Cup, securing the team a spot in the round of 16.
In order to differentiate NBA Cup games from regular NBA games, teams have introduced alternate courts that are only used during NBA Cup games. NBA Cup courts are generally more colorful than the team’s usual court, with the Lakers’ version being a bright yellow.
Although the color is different, the Lakers’ alternate court is not as radical as the one used by the Detroit Pistons, who have a blue NBA Cup courtor the Atlanta Hawks, who present a red alternate terrain.
Advertisement
The Lakers don’t have long to fix the problem. The team is scheduled to play its next NBA Cup game on Friday, when the Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks. The team is working to resolve the slippery field issue before this game, according to ESPN.
The Lakers should have a strong incentive to resolve this issue. With Dončić playing at an MVP level, LeBron James finally back from injury and Austin Reaves in the midst of a breakout season, the Lakers are 13-4 to open the year and look like one of the real threats to win a championship.
Any significant injury could derail those chances. And while an injury could happen at any time, the Lakers probably don’t want their season to go up in flames because a star player rolled his ankle on the team’s alternate court.
