Why won't the Lakers use the special court for the NBA Cup?
The yellow court was removed due to safety concerns following multiple complaints from Lakers players
The Los Angeles Lakers have ruled out using their special yellow court for their upcoming NBA Cup game against the Dallas Mavericks. The decision came after technicians from the official supplier concluded that the floor was "unusable" and had to be returned for repairs, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. For that reason, Friday's game at Crypto.com Arena will be played on the team's traditional court. Complaints quickly surfaced after the 135-118 victory against the Clippers. Rui Hachimura was one of the first to point it out. “It was terrible. I felt it right away while warming up. It was a strange feeling. Like oily, slippery. Everyone was on the floor, falling down,” the forward said. In his second statement, he commented: “That was bad… I felt it immediately… It just felt strange. Like oily, slippery… We'll use the normal court tonight, so it'll be fine.” Complaints, explanations, and the impact on the NBA Cup. Lakers superstar Luka Doncic also expressed concern about the state of the yellow court. His criticism was forceful. “It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous. I slipped. I slipped a lot, and you could see a lot of players slipping. And that’s dangerous,” he said after the game. He also noted that he had noticed the problem during warm-ups and clarified that he didn’t recall the NBA Cup courts in Memphis and New Orleans having similar conditions. Lakers coach JJ Redick offered a possible explanation for the floor problems. “Sometimes courts just don’t dry properly when there’s condensation on them,” he said, alluding to the fact that an NHL Kings game had been played in the same arena less than 24 hours earlier. The conversion of ice to wood, according to experts, can leave moisture trapped beneath the surface. Despite the conditions, Doncic had an elite performance: 43 points, 13 assists, and nine rebounds.Austin Reaves added 31 points and LeBron James chipped in 25 for the Lakers, who shot 57% from the field and secured their advancement to the NBA Cup quarterfinals with a 3-0 record in Group B. The Lakers also improved their overall record to 13-4, second-best in the West behind Oklahoma City (17-1).

