The Los Angeles Lakers have continued their hot start to the season, going 8-2 in their last 10 games. Now that LeBron James rejoined the lineup, the team has extended its winning streak to five games, including an NBA Cup win against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this week.
That 135-118 victory featured Luka Doncic scoring 43 points to go with 13 assists and nine rebounds. LeBron and Austin Reaves combined for another 56 points in an all-around effort from the Lakers’ big three of star players.
While things seemed to go well, it didn’t come out without a few issues and complaints. Things got chippy at one point of the matchup, with Clippers player Kris Dunn getting into a verbal altercation and shoving match with Luka and Lakers teammate Jaxson Hayes.
Read more: Lakers’ Luka Doncic Sends Strong Message on Kris Dunn After NBA Cup Game
The referees ejected Dunn from the game after he reached across to strike Hayes’s face when the two players got into it. Luka admitted after the game that he isn’t scared of anyone, but also spoke about a “dangerous” issue in his team’s NBA Cup game: the colorful court design.
In his postgame remarks, Luka said the court was “slippery” and that he fell several times during the game. When reporters asked LeBron if he noticed that, King James said he hadn’t noticed any issues.
On Friday, ahead of the team’s NBA Cup game against the Dallas Mavericks, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that the league decided not to use the NBA Cup court. McMenamin indicated that technicians “from the league’s court vendor determined that the court is unplayable,” and it was sent back for repairs.
The Lakers have gone 3-0 in the NBA Cup so far, with wins over the previously mentioned Clippers, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Memphis Grizzlies. Slippery court or not, Luka’s performed well in two NBA Cup games, scoring 44 against the Grizzlies and 43 against the Clippers. His effort against the Pelicans yielded just 24 points to go with his 12 assists.
Whether or not that 24-point performance was an off-night or due to the NBA Cup’s special court design is unknown. On Friday, he and the Lakers look to win their sixth-straight game. As of this writing, the Lakers are favorites to win against the Dallas Mavericks by 9.5 points on the spread.
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