Lakers to Switch Back to Conventional Court for NBA Cup Game Against Mavericks Due to Unplayable Surface
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers will revert to their standard home court for Friday’s NBA Cup group play game against the Dallas Mavericks after the league deemed the specially designed NBA Cup court unplayable due to safety concerns. Technicians from the league’s court vendor identified areas requiring additional refinishing following player complaints earlier this week.
The decision comes after players, including Lakers forward Rui Hachimura and Mavericks star Luka Dončić, voiced concerns about the court’s condition. Hachimura described the surface as “oily, slippery,” and Dončić labeled it “perilous” following the Lakers’ 135-118 win over the LA Clippers on Tuesday.The Lakers are already 3-0 in NBA Cup group play and have secured a spot in the quarterfinals, where a win Friday would guarantee home-court advantage.
According to a league spokesperson, player safety is the top priority, and the NBA Cup court is being reconditioned with the hope of having it available should the Lakers host a quarterfinal game at Crypto.com Arena. “In consultation with the Lakers, we identified areas of their NBA Cup court that required additional refinishing, so the team will use its standard home court for tonight’s game,” the spokesperson said.
Hachimura said Friday, “That was bad…I felt it right away when I was warming up. It just felt weird. Just like oily, slippery. Everybody was on the floor, literally.”
