The Lakers won’t be using the NBA Cup court again after all.
Los Angeles will use its standard NBA court Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena when hosting the Spurs in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. It’s the last time this season that the Lakers could have used their NBA Cup court, regardless of whether they advanced in the tournament, as the semifinals and finals will be played at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Lakers star Luka Dončić called for a change of the NBA Cup court following the team’s win over the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena on Nov. 25.
“Adjust the courts, please. It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous,” Dončić said after the Lakers’ win over the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. “I slipped a lot of times. You could see a lot of players slipped.”
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura also called out the “oily, slippery” NBA Cup court.
The Lakers used their normal court for their Black Friday NBA Cup match-up against the Mavericks after the NBA Cup court was “deemed unplayable” by the league’s court vendor, according to the team. ESPN reported late last month that the vendor expected the court to be ready by the team’s NBA Cup quarterfinal game against the Mavericks.
The NBA has two vendors for its NBA Cup courts: Robbins Sports Surfaces, the court manufacturer, and Praters Flooring, which is in charge of finishing. A Robbins spokesperson told Front Office Sports that the Lakers court issue involves the court’s finishing. Praters Flooring did not respond to a request for comment.
Los Angeles not using their NBA Cup court means two of the four NBA Cup quarterfinals games will not feature the notoriously colorful designs. The Orlando Magic, who defeated the Miami Heat on Wednesday to advance to the tournament semifinals, played on their usual NBA court. The team said the NBA Cup court was damaged in storage.
