The Lakers have advanced to the NBA Cup quarterfinals, but there are still meaningful cup games remaining.
The Lakers, who are 3-0 in West Group B, will secure home court advantage in the quarterfinals with a win over the Dallas Mavericks in Friday’s final group stage game. A win would be the easiest way to avoid relying on a point tiebreaker, which could still be played to determine the West’s No. 1 seed. Outscoring their opponents by 36 points, the Lakers are now 27 points behind West Group A leader Oklahoma City (2-0 in group play), giving them a chance to be the No. 1 seed. The top seeded team will host the wild card team and qualify for the quarterfinals by being the best second-place team in group play. Portland and Denver are tied for first in Group C in the West with 2 wins and 1 loss.
The NBA Cup, which is in its third year and inspired by a similar intraseason tournament in the European leagues, has caused confusion over its colorful courts and ever-changing group stage scenario. The extra road trip and the possibility of an extra championship game could ultimately put more strain on a team with big playoff ambitions, but the prize money is worth the trouble at $500,000 for each player.
“Of course I’ll take the money,” Doncic said with a sarcastic smile. “That’s easy. … I did something like this in Spain and I like it. Just the coat, please.”
Doncic said the Lakers’ NBA Cup court, bright yellow with a gold and black trophy on the key, caused problems after several players slipped on the new hardwood. The free-throw line in front of the Clippers bench seemed especially slippery. Doncic said he quickly realized there might be a problem with the road surface during warm-ups.
“I’ve skated a lot and you can see a lot of guys have skated,” Doncic said. “That’s dangerous, dude.”
Reddick said he noticed the players slipping, but they had been falling before that. He said the team would investigate the court.
