The NBA has heeded the complaints of Luka Doncic and others.
Technicians from the NBA’s court vendor have deemed that the Lakers’ playing court for NBA Cup games is unplayable, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported on Friday. As a result, the league has decided that the Lakers will not play on the court on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks (an NBA Cup game), and the court will instead be sent back to the vendor in order to undergo repairs.
The decision comes after a controversy during the Lakers’ previous NBA Cup game against the LA Clippers on Tuesday. The Lakers won the game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. by a final score of 135-118. But players on both teams were slipping on the playing surface throughout the game.
After the contest, Lakers star Luka Doncic voiced complaints about the court. He called the playing conditions “dangerous” and noted how slippery the floor was during the game. Other Lakers players besides Doncic also issued complaints about the court after the contest.
The Lakers have already officially won Group B in the NBA Cup standings to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament (consisting of eight total teams). Thus, it is unclear if their special playing court will return at any point during this year’s NBA Cup.
There is precedent for these kinds of decisions from the NBA though. A couple of seasons ago, it was the Mavericks who experienced some mishaps with their playing court for the NBA Cup, resulting in the court’s ultimate removal.
