Luka Doncic starred as the Los Angeles Lakers won in the NBA Cup last night – but he was less than impressed by the state of the court.
Doncic poured in 43 points and added 13 assists and nine rebounds as the Lakers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 135-118, and was also the central figure in a late confrontation with Kris Dunn.
The Slovenian superstar narrowly missed out on his 10th career 40-point triple double but came away feeling frustrated with the state of the surface at the Crypto.com Arena.
The court was dressed in a special yellow NBA Cup branding which Doncic felt made it slippy.
“Adjust the courts, please,” Doncic said. “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.
“I think they’re just new courts, so it’s kind of tough. It needs playing some games.”
Doncic and Dunn clash
Doncic got into an altercation with Dunn late in the fourth quarter and was helped out by team-mate Jaxson Hayes, who was quick to get involved.
It is not the first time Doncic and Dunn have clashed and the former Maverick said he would pay Hayes’ fine.
“I got him,” Doncic said. “I told him right away, thanks for having my back. This is what I love about this team. Everybody has got each other’s back.”
Dunn was ejected for his part in the ruckus.
“I was waiting for a rebound, and I got a shot in my back,” Doncic said. “I’m not going to just stand it. I ain’t afraid of nobody. I’m not going to just stand there and let it go. That’s what the game is about. Sometimes it’s going to get physical. There’s a lot of trash talking. I live for that, so I love it.”
The win for the Lakers means they have qualified for the quarter-finals.
