The Los Angeles Lakers continue to be one of the hottest teams in the NBA, with Luka Dončić and company winning a fifth straight game on Tuesday. The Lakers were able to get the best of Kawhi Leonard’s Los Angeles Clippers in an NBA Cup matchup, which resulted in JJ Redick’s squad winning West Group B and advancing to the next round of the annual tournament.
The NBA Cup has become a part of the league’s schedule, marking the third year the league has hosted the tournament, which concludes in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Lakers were able to come out on top in the tournament and seem to have a good chance of doing the same during the 2025-26 campaign.
Lakers’ Luka Dončić Pleads With NBA To Make a Change
Even though the Lakers were able to beat the crosstown rival Clippers on Tuesday night in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena, with Dončić scoring a game-high 43 points, the Slovenian superstar wasn’t happy after the game for one reason in particular.
Dončić made a point of addressing the fact that these NBA Cup courts are simply too slippery, which can prove dangerous for all players involved, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. He stated, “Adjust the courts, please. It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous.”
“Adjust the courts, please. It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous.” – Luka Doncic on the special NBA Cup court the Lakers played on tonight. pic.twitter.com/zeBlET8Znk
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 26, 2025
It’ll be interesting to see whether Dončić’s lobbying of the league to be more cautious with these new-look courts during the NBA Cup tournament will actually change anything.
Obviously, with the league focused on player safety, as they want their superstars on the floor more often than not, they’ll have to take Dončić’s comments into account and potentially address the situation.
Despite Dončić not being thrilled with what he calls a “slippery” court during this NBA Cup game on Tuesday, the Lakers are sitting pretty moving forward, as they have a legitimate shot at coming out on top in the tournament while continuing to be one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
The next matchup for the Lakers will be on Friday, following Thanksgiving Day, against the visiting Dallas Mavericks.
It’ll be the first time Dončić faces his old team this season, and the first time rookie Cooper Flagg takes on the Lakers, creating an interesting dynamic, even though these two teams seem to be headed in different directions, with the Lakers being among the West’s elite squads and the Mavericks struggling to live up to expectations.