Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 135-118 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in a crucial NBA Cup game, superstar Luka Dončić voiced serious concerns about the safety of the court at Crypto.com Arena. Despite a dominant individual performance, Dončić did not hold back, calling the playing surface “dangerous” and “slippery.”
The game was played on a unique, bright yellow court, a design element the NBA has implemented for all in-season tournament group play games. However, players from both teams were seen losing their footing throughout the contest, prompting Dončić to speak out.
Los Angeles Lakers Luka Dončić: “It’s Dangerous, Man”
In his postgame comments to reporters, Dončić detailed the hazardous conditions. “It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous,” he said. “I slipped. I slipped a lot of times and you could see a lot of players slipped. And that’s dangerous, man.”
Dončić noted that he first noticed the issue during pregame warmups and stated he hadn’t experienced similar problems on the special tournament courts in Memphis or New Orleans. Lakers head coach JJ Redick suggested a potential cause, pointing out that the arena had hosted an NHL game the previous night. “Sometimes courts just don’t dry well when there’s condensation on it,” Redick explained.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers organization is aware of the issue and is actively working to resolve it before their next NBA Cup home game against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.
Dončić Dominates Despite Conditions
The slippery court did little to slow down Dončić, who continued his MVP-caliber season with another spectacular outing. He led all scorers with 43 points on 14-of-28 shooting, narrowly missing a triple-double by adding 13 assists and nine rebounds. His performance was central to the Lakers clinching their spot in the tournament’s quarterfinal round.
Austin Reaves contributed 31 points, and LeBron James added 25, as the Lakers improved their season record to 13-4. While the team has already advanced, their upcoming game against Dallas is still significant, as a win would secure home-court advantage for the quarterfinal match.
Player safety is a top priority for the league, and Dončić’s comments have put a spotlight on the new tournament courts. With more high-stakes games to be played, all eyes will be on the Crypto.com Arena crew to ensure the surface is safe for the players in their next matchup.
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