The LA Lakers will return to their bright yellow home court for their next NBA Cup group stage game. They’ll be up against the Dallas Mavericks this Friday. Just ask Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who criticized the special alternative court’s surface as way too slippery earlier this week. So, based on these factors, the team decided to take this approach. After Doncic called the court “dangerous,” it forced officials to consider whether or not it was safe enough to continue playing on.
We’re still waiting to hear back on what went wrong, but the game earlier this week on that particular alternative court has since been criticized for endangering players. Players told us they were having issues with the surface before game day warm-ups and during games. Rui Hachimura, a forward for the Lakers, shared his experience, saying, “I felt it right away when I was warming up. It just felt weird. Just like oily, slippery. Everybody was on the floor, literally.”
In addition to Doncic, the Lakers appear committed to surveying players’ experiences and taking action. They’ll certainly be concerned about player safety as they return to their regular court at Crypto.com Arena for the showdown with the Mavericks. This game is a very big deal. The Lakers, thanks to their 3-0 record in group play and tiebreaker scenarios favoring them, have already punched their quarterfinal ticket in the NBA Cup. A win against the Mavericks would then clinch home-court advantage for the quarterfinals, as well.
The alternative court vendor tasked with fielding the court will retroactively conduct repairs following the Lakers’ complaints. Without these repairs the court is unsafe and not compliant. They do so while making sure it is indeed playable should the Lakers ever in the future host a quarterfinal game.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith weighed in on the Lakers’ potential this season. He stressed the great impact of ultimate draw players like LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Friday’s matchup will be an extraordinary display of talent. It’ll be an important one for both clubs on their path to the NBA Cup.
If there was any doubt fought the enthusiasm for tonight’s U.S. Our number one goal remains players’ health and safety, even as we work to succeed on the field during this competitive phase of the special tournament.
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