In a scary moment in Cleveland that once again raised concerns about player safety, Luka Doncic narrowly avoided a potentially serious injury.
Early in the first quarter of the Lakers' loss to the Cavaliers, Doncic stepped back for a 3-pointer and then jumped backward into the small gap between the raised court and the floor of Rocket Arena, the only NBA arena with this design.
The mistake caused him to fall to the ground and immediately attracted the attention of both benches.
Doncic briefly headed to the locker room before returning to finish the game, but the fear lingered after the final buzzer. Later, the Lakers star admitted that the fall left him shaken and he knew how close he came to disaster.
“I was a little scared,” Doncic said after the game, via Dan Woick of The Athletic. “It's not a good feeling, and, looking back on the video, I guess I was a little lucky.”
“Who the hell built this floor, damn?!”
Luka Doncic lifts court after Cavaliers ankle injury 😳
(pass @PostDaws) pic.twitter.com/dxGI7zoZd9
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) January 29, 2026
Despite the incident, Doncic still contributed 29 points, five rebounds and six assists, but it wasn't enough for Los Angeles to remain competitive in a 129-99 loss.
However, this outcome pales in comparison to the larger issues raised by the fall.
Lakers head coach J.J. Redick didn't hesitate when asked about the court design, calling it a long-standing issue that the league has yet to resolve.
“It's definitely a safety concern,” Redick said after the game. “I don't know why it's still happening. I don't know. You know, you can file a formal complaint. A lot of times when you file a formal complaint, you don't see any change.”
Redick's frustration echoes what many around the league have quietly felt for years. Since every other NBA arena has a flush court-to-floor layout, players simply aren't accustomed to walking on raised surfaces during live games, especially during fast-paced sequences like Doncic's step-back.
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