Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA Cup court deemed ‘unplayable’ for Friday’s game: Report originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Los Angeles Lakers’ court for the NBA Cup is a late scratch for Friday’s game.
The alternative court, with its bright yellow color scheme and NBA Cup trophy decals, will not be used when the Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks during the in-season tournament matchup at Crypto.com Arena after being deemed “unplayable,” according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Technicians from the league’s court vendor determined the floor is in need of repair because of safety concerns, The Athletic reported.
Friday’s game will instead be played on the Lakers’ regular home court.
Lakers star Luka Doncic had complaints about the NBA Cup court after the team played on it for the first time Tuesday in a win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Lakers’ alternative NBA Cup has been determined to be unplayable due to safety concerns, per reports.
“It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous,” Doncic told reporters 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.”
Despite the slippery surface, Doncic managed to score 43 points while leading the Lakers to a 135-118 victory over the Clippers.
Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 25, 2025 at Crypto.Com Arena. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
With the win, the Lakers improved to 3-0 in NBA Cup play and won Group B in the Western Conference to secure a spot in the tournament’s quarterfinals. With a win over the Mavericks on Friday, the Lakers will clinch a home game for their quarterfinal matchup the week of Dec. 8.
The ensuing semifinal matchup will be hosted by the higher seed of the two advancing teams. The championship game will be played in Las Vegas.
The Lakers’ NBA Cup court will be returned to the vendor for repairs and is expected to be ready in two weeks, per The Athletic.
“That was bad,” Lakers forward Rui Hachimura told reporters Friday about the court. “I felt it right away when I was warming up. It just felt weird. Just like oily, slippery. Everybody was on the floor, literally, every second…I don’t know if they fixed it or they changed it…We’re going to do the normal court, so it will be fine.”
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