Cavaliers court raises safety concerns again as Luka Doncic injures leg

CLEVELAND- Luka Doncic grabbed his left leg. He immediately thought of Dru Smith. The Miami Heat guard’s knee injury suffered in 2023 when he slipped on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ side of the court haunted Doncic as he grimaced in pain near the Lakers’ bench.

The Lakers superstar avoided serious injury after falling off the Cavaliers’ side of the elevated court Monday, but the threat of a player being injured by Cleveland’s single 10-inch fall from the court to the arena floor returned to center stage during the Lakers’ 129-99 loss to the Cavaliers.

“It’s absolutely a safety risk,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after Doncic was able to return later in the first quarter. “And I don’t know why it’s always like that. I don’t know. You know, you can file a formal complaint. A lot of times you don’t see any change when you file a formal complaint.”

Doncic was injured shooting a three-pointer with 7:58 left in the first quarter. He hopped on one foot after shooting and jumped straight off the platform, immediately grabbing his left leg. When he limped to the locker room, Doncic could barely put weight on his leg.

But he returned with 1:32 left in the first quarter and finished with 29 points, six assists and five rebounds. He didn’t have a brace or extra wrap on his left leg, but he said he didn’t feel 100 percent.

“I was a little scared,” Doncic said. “It wasn’t a great feeling and watching the video I think I got a little lucky. It obviously hurts more now, but I just tried to go for it.”

Smith was injured much more seriously in 2023 as he got closer to the defense, landed on a stat sheet and slipped over the edge. He suffered a season-ending ACL sprain in the accident, and the Heat contacted the NBA to express concerns about the floor at the time.

“It’s tough to see another player get hurt on that court, with a fall, with a fall,” Lakers guard Gabe Vincent said Monday, “so hopefully something can be fixed with that, but we’re lucky that [Doncic] How’s it going.

Cleveland’s Rocket Arena, which opened in 1994 and was last renovated in 2019, is also home to the Cleveland Monsters, an American Hockey League affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The basketball court is raised to accommodate the ice below ground. But several NBA teams, including the Lakers, share their arena with hockey teams and none have a field as accessible as Cleveland’s.

“It’s the only pitch like this, so I guess it’s my fault,” Doncic said. “I [gotta] stop jumping like that.

The Lakers have a history of concerning pitches this year. In November, Doncic said in a postgame press conference that the Lakers’ custom NBA Cup court used in a home game against the Clippers was dangerously slippery. The team reported the problem to the league and the Lakers no longer used the court because it was not deemed safe to play in time for the remaining NBA Cup games.

But when asked if there was any way to raise the league’s latest issue, Doncic hesitated.

“I don’t know,” Doncic said, “don’t get me involved in this.”

Likewise, Redick said any changes would be “well above my pay grade.”