Luka Dončić led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 135-118 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night, scoring 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. Despite his dominant performance, Dončić criticized the neon yellow NBA Cup court for being dangerously slippery. He urged the league to change the courts to improve player safety.
In a standout performance during the Lakers' NBA Cup game against the Clippers, Luka Dončić showcased his MVP-caliber skills, finishing with 43 points on over 50% shooting from the floor and three-point range, along with 13 assists and nine rebounds. He took 12 three-point attempts, potentially influenced by the court's traction issues that made drives to the basket riskier.
However, Dončić's postgame comments focused on safety concerns with the Lakers' neon yellow NBA Cup court. "Change the courts, please," he said. "It's just slippery. It's dangerous. I slipped. I slipped a lot of times, and you could see a lot of players slipped. And that's dangerous, man." He first noticed the problem during pregame warmups and requested the court be swept again, though it did not fully resolve the issue.
This marks the second time Dončić has raised alarms about NBA Cup courts. In 2023, while with the Dallas Mavericks, he criticized the New Orleans Pelicans' court for dead spots and instability. The unique full-court designs of Cup courts, which are essentially large painted decals with minimal wood grain visible, reduce traction compared to standard hardwood.
Clippers head coach Ty Lue acknowledged Dončić's impact: "We couldn’t get stops, whatever we tried to do with Luka – switch, fire, blitz – he just picked apart. Just a tough cover, [we were] just trying to mix it up, show him different looks. But he’s a great player. He took advantage of everything we tried to do tonight."
The Lakers plan to address these concerns before their next home game against the Mavericks on Friday night on the same court. The league may need to approve any changes, but Dončić's complaints from a star player are likely to draw attention.