Luka Doncic made two things clear Tuesday night — he’s no fan of the Lakers’ NBA Cup court, and he’ll pay any fine that comes Jaxson Hayes’ way after the big man had his back.
The Los Angeles superstar said following his team’s big 135-118 victory over the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena that the special hardwood the Lakers laid down for their in-season tournament matchup was a problem.
“It’s just slippery,” he said. “It’s dangerous.”
“I slipped a lot of times,” he added. “You could see a lot of players slipped. And that’s dangerous, man.”
The Lakers unfurled a bright yellow alternate court for the matchup, a tool Adam Silver’s league has used in Cup tilts to help promote the event. Doncic told reporters he could tell footing was going to be an issue as early as the pregame warmups.
Lakers coach JJ Redick intimated there might have been some drying issues with the hardwood after the Los Angeles Kings had played the Ottawa Senators in an NHL game at the venue some 24 hours prior.
“Sometimes courts just don’t dry well when there’s condensation on it,” Redick said.
Doncic nonetheless found a way to have a huge game — he logged 43 points, nine rebounds and 13 assists in 38 minutes.
He also got involved in a spat with Clippers guard Kris Dunn, who shoved a ball in Doncic’s chest after the two had gotten tangled up while trying to position for a rebound.
Hayes stepped in to break things up by pushing Dunn and a skirmish ensued. The Lakers center will likely be fined for his actions, but Doncic told reporters he’d pick up the tab.
“I got it,” Doncic said. “I told him right away, ‘Thanks for having my back.’ And that says a lot about him. That says a lot about this team. Everybody got each other’s back.”
With the victory, the Lakers clinched Group B of the NBA Cup and will now host the Dallas Mavericks — Doncic’s former team — on Friday night. The Lakers told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin they’re “aware” of Doncic’s court “concerns and are working to address them before” tip-off.