Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic has been on an absolute tear in the early part of the season as the Pacific Division leaders make their way through the NBA Cup tournament, but the five-time All-NBA performer had a pointed gripe about the home court.
The Lakers routed the Los Angeles Clippers 135-118 on Tuesday, and Doncic had a game-high 43 points with 13 assists and nine rebounds, but getting those buckets caused a problem.
‘Adjust the courts, please. It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous,’ Doncic said after the game. ‘I slipped. I slipped a lot of times and you could see a lot of players slipped. And that’s dangerous, man.’
Doncic said the problem with the floor was noticed during pregame warmups, and workers attempted to remove excess moisture from the court, to no avail.
The Lakers share Crypto.com Arena with the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, who played a home game on Monday before the arena was converted back to an NBA court for the game against the Clippers.
‘Sometimes courts just don’t dry well when there’s condensation on it,’ Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
Los Angeles, which clinched a spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals and earned each player at least $53,000, will be back at home on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks.