After the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the LA Clippers on Tuesday, Luka Doncic had a message for the NBA. Doncic wants the league to improve the safety of the players when playing during the NBA Cup.
Speaking to reporters after the Lakers’ 135-118 win over their crosstown rivals, Doncic discussed how dangerous the NBA Cup courts are. He wants the league to ensure that the courts are safer for players, who have been prone to slipping on the specialized hardwood.
“Adjust the courts, please. It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous. … I slipped a lot of times. You could see a lot of players slipped. That’s dangerous, man,” Doncic said, via Kyle Koster of Sports Illustrated.
According to the Sports Business Journal, Doncic wasn’t the first player to criticize the safety of NBA Cup courts. Jaylen Brown once claimed that he injured his groin while playing an NBA Cup game in Toronto back in 2023.
The report added that Tuesday’s game was the Lakers’ first NBA Cup home game, but Doncic can’t recall if the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies have slippery courts during their in-season tournament contests there.
Doncic Drops 43 Points Against Clippers
With a career average of 32.8 points per game against the LA Clippers, Luka Doncic was expected to have a great game on Tuesday. Doncic didn’t disappoint, dropping 43 points, nine rebounds and 13 assists on the hapless Clippers. He went 14-for-28 from the field and knocked down seven 3-point shots.
Doncic was scorching in the first quarter, scoring 24 points to pace the Los Angeles Lakers’ domination at Crypto.com Arena. James Harden tried his best to keep the Clippers afloat in the second quarter, but they ran out of steam in the final period and got outscored 37-25.
While Doncic dominated the first half, it was Austin Reaves and LeBron James who picked up the slack in the second half. Reaves contributed 31 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals, while James added 25 points, six rebounds and six assists.
The Lakers also clinched a spot in the next round of the NBA Cup, which is the knockout stage. They have one more game in the group stage, but they will finish atop West Group B regardless of the outcome. They will face Doncic’s former team, the Dallas Mavericks, on Friday.
Jaxson Hayes’ Fine Already Taken Care Of
With less than four minutes left in the game, Luka Doncic got into an altercation with Kris Dunn following a tussle for the rebound. Doncic fell to the ground after getting pushed by Dunn.
The Lakers star immediately approached Dunn, who shoved the ball back to Doncic. Jaxson Hayes quickly defended his teammate and pushed the Clippers guard, who retaliated with what looked like a punch to the face.
After checking replays, Hayes was called for a technical foul, while Dunn was ejected from the game. He got two technical fouls, one for shoving the ball to Doncic and one for swinging at Hayes.
With the Lakers center expected to get fined by the NBA, Doncic has already told reporters after the game that he’ll be taking care of it, as reported by Doug McKain of Bleacher Report.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Luka Doncic Sends Clear Message to NBA After Lakers’ Win appeared first on Heavy Sports.