"They did us a favor" - Luka Doncic praises Lakers, league for getting rid of "dangerous, slippery" NBA Cup court

Luka Doncic isn't the only Los Angeles Laker to complain about the team's in-season tournament courts.

Rui Hachimura said before Friday's game against Dallas that the floor felt "dangerous," and he applauded the team for returning it to the vendor for repairs, saying player safety had to come first.

"Yeah, that was bad. I felt it right away when I was warming up. It just felt weird, just like oily, slippery. Everybody else is on the floor literally every second. I don't know if they'll fix it or change it, but that's good. We're going to do the normal court, so it's gonna be fun," he said.

Players safety first

Concerns regarding the Lakers' NBA Cup court were raised as early as last Tuesday, after the team defeated the Los Angeles Clippers. It was Doncic who first brought it up, mentioning that he had slipped multiple times on the surface. The Lakers then took notice and decided to look into it.

"Adjust the courts, please," Doncic said. "It's just slippery. It's dangerous... I slipped a lot of times. You could see a lot of players slipping. That's dangerous, man."

After two days, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that the Lakers had the NBA court vendor's technicians examine their bright yellow cup floor. They determined that it was indeed unsafe and vowed to repair it as soon as possible, preferably before the Lakers play their next NBA Cup game at home again.

"Player safety is our top priority," a league spokesperson told ESPN. "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 NBA Cup court is being reconditioned and will be ready for use in the quarterfinals should they host."

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Luka thanks Lakers, NBA

In their 129-119 win against the Mavericks on Friday, the Lakers played on their usual surface and had no complaints about it afterwards.

Doncic, who put up 35 points, five rebounds, and 11 assists on 10-for-18 shooting in 40 minutes against his former team, applauded the effort of the Lakers and the league for addressing his and Hachimura's concerns before the game.

"I really appreciate the Lakers and the league, they did us a favor," Doncic said.

Austin Reaves led the Lakers in scoring with 38 points on 12-for-15 from the field. Deandre Ayton added 17 points and eight rebounds, and LeBron James had 13 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

P.J. Washington led Dallas with 22 points. Ryan Nembhard added 17 and and Naji Marshall had 16 off the bench. Anthony Davis finished the night with 13 points, five rebounds and three blocks.

With a perfect 4-0 record in the NBA Cup, the Lakers have secured a spot in the knockout stage and earned home-court advantage against the San Antonio Spurs in the next round. This means that L.A.'s cup courts will be put back in use — hopefully in a much better condition and much safer for the players.

The quarterfinals round of the NBA Cup will take place on Dec 9-10, featuring the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Lakers and Spurs in a single-elimination game format. The winner of the quarterfinals will advance to the semifinals, which will be held in Las Vegas.

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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.