The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a dominant 135-118 win over the Clippers on Tuesday night, but the victory came with a serious complaint. Luka Doncic wasn’t celebrating the blowout.
Instead, he was talking about something far more worrying, the court itself. Doncic made it clear that the Lakers’ alternate NBA Cup court was a hazard waiting to happen.
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He noticed the slippery surface before the game even started and flagged it to a court assistant. Nothing changed. Throughout the night, Doncic and several other players kept losing their footing, sliding around like they were on ice instead of hardwood.
“It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous,” Lakers star Luka Doncic said. “I slipped. I slipped a lot of times and you could see a lot of players slipped. And that’s dangerous, man.”
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“Adjust the courts, please. It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous.” – Luka Doncic on the special NBA Cup court the Lakers played on tonight. pic.twitter.com/zeBlET8Znk
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 26, 2025
The court conditions didn’t stop Doncic from putting up an absolute monster performance. He dropped 43 points and led the Lakers to their third straight NBA Cup win, locking up a spot in the knockout round.
Still, the slippery surface loomed over what should have been a night of pure momentum.
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and forward LeBron James (23) react after a foul during the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday for their next Cup game, and the organization is scrambling to fix the court before then. With Doncic playing at an MVP level, LeBron James back from injury, and Austin Reaves surging, Los Angeles has started the season 13-4.
They look like legitimate title contenders. The last thing this team needs is a preventable injury derailing what’s shaping up to be a special season.
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