Friday’s In-Season Tournament game for the Dallas Mavericks will end up looking like any other regular season game.
An NBA spokesperson revealed that Friday’s In-Season Tournament group-play contest between the Mavs and the LA Clippers won’t be played on one of the courts custom-made for the tournament. Instead, it will be played on Dallas’ normal home court due to a reported “manufacturing issue.”
“The Mavericks will play tonight’s game on their core court due to a manufacturing issue with the team’s In-Season Tournament court,” the spokesperson said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
MacMahon adds that testing of the Mavs’ In-Season Tournament court revealed the manufacturing problem. It is the playing surface specifically that reportedly requires more work in order to conform to league standards.
The NBA had made the decision to play this season’s inaugural In-Season Tournament games on unique courts with bright and vivid colors. Though the league managed to accomplish one of their stated goals in emphasizing the difference between normal regular season games and these In-Season Tournament contests, fans have had some very mixed opinions about the custom courts, especially since many look extremely painful visually.
Here is what the Mavs’ In-Season Tournament court is supposed to look like (at least once it is finally ready to go).
The Dallas Mavericks all-new court for the NBA In-Season Tournament pic.twitter.com/mMKXTr18qY
— NBA 2K25 Community (@nba2kcmty) October 30, 2023
Dallas lost their group-play opener to the Nuggets in Denver last week but will be looking to bounce back on Friday against the Clippers, who are set to make their In-Season Tournament debut. Though the Mavs have plenty of time to get the court right for the next such game that they host against the Houston Rockets on Nov. 28, you might recall that there have been other structural issues at American Airlines Center for important games before.
