[Ulrich] Cavaliers adjust court layout after Luka Doncic injury scare
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers made modifications to the perimeter of the court at Rocket Arena after Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic turned his left ankle while falling from the elevated floor during a 129-99 Cavs win on Jan. 28.
After Doncic’s injury scare, the Cavs played five consecutive road games. When they returned home to face the Washington Wizards on Feb. 11, risers were added along the court’s sidelines and next to three of its four corners. The only corner without a riser on Feb. 11, when Cleveland won 138-113, was the one closest to the Cavs bench.
“In collaboration with the NBA, NBPA, and independent flooring experts, we have made an adjustment to our court layout designed to improve player safety,” a Cavs spokesperson said in a statement. “These temporary protective court extensions will be in place for the remainder of the season.”
After attempting a 3-pointer, Doncic took a spill near the Lakers bench where the floor had dropped and front-row seats had been placed. During a subsequent timeout with 7:46 left in the first quarter, Doncic limped toward LA’s locker room.
Although Doncic returned to the action with 1:32 left in the first quarter and finished with a game-high 29 points in 30 minutes, the Lakers expressed frustration with the setup at Rocket Arena.
“There’s been a number of injuries over the years in this building because of the floor,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said during his postgame news conference. “… It is absolutely a safety hazard, and I don’t know why it’s still like that. I don’t. And you can lodge formal complaints. A lot of times you don’t see any change when you lodge a formal complaint.”
[Pictures in the article show the changes]