Lakers guard Austin Reaves drives to the rim as Clippers center Ivica Zubac defends during the second half at Crypto.com Arena.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers have secured their spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, but there are still important Cup games to be played.
With a 3-0 record in West Group B, the Lakers can gain home-court advantage in the quarterfinals by defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the group stage finale on Friday. A win would be the easiest way to avoid using a point differential tiebreaker that could still be in play to determine the No. 1 seed in the West. With a 36-point lead over their opponents, the Lakers trail West Group A leader Oklahoma City (2-0 in group play) by 27 points for the potential No. 1 seed. The first place team will host the wild-card team, which earns a spot in the quarter-finals by virtue of being the top runner-up team in group play. Portland and Denver are tied for first place in West Group C at 2-1.
The three-year NBA Cup, inspired by similar season-long tournaments in European leagues, has caused confusion over colorful courts and ever-changing group stage scenarios. The potential extra trip and extra championship game could end up further wearing down teams that have big playoff ambitions, but the prize is worth it: $500,000 for each player.
“Of course I’ll accept the money,” Doncic said with a sarcastic smile. “It's easy… I played it in Spain, something like that, so I like it. Just the courts, please.”
Doncic said the Lakers' NBA Cup court — bright yellow with a gold and black trophy painted on the key — caused problems for several players when they slipped on the new hard surface. The area near the free throw line in front of the Clippers bench was particularly slick. Doncic said he immediately realized during warmups that the surface could be an issue.
“I made a lot of mistakes and you could see a lot of players made mistakes,” Doncic said. – And it's dangerous, dude.
Redick said he noticed players slipped, but also that they were falling before that. He said the team will take the case to court.
