NBA postpones Lakers game against Hornets due to wildfires in Los Angeles
With wildfires impacting many parts of L.A. County, the NBA has postponed the Lakers Thursday night game against the Hornets.
Due to the wildfires burning across L.A. County, the NBA has postponed Thursday night’s scheduled game between the Lakers and the Hornets at Crypto.com Arena.
Official league release https://t.co/md9GRywBnE pic.twitter.com/aXUnAyo1vN
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) January 9, 2025
We're with you, LA pic.twitter.com/PoROo4ycd9
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 9, 2025
The fires in L.A. County began on Tuesday, breaking out in the Palisades, the Pacific Coast Highway and Pasadena. Thousands of buildings and acres of land have been damaged and many in the county have lost power.
While Crypto.com Arena is not in an area that the fires have directly impacted, many Angelinos have been affected by this disaster.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick is also among the many people affected by the fires. After having his family evacuate from their home earlier in the week, Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Thursday that he had lost his home, which he had been renting since coming to LA this summer.
JJ Redick said his family had to be evacuated from the Pacific Palisades area and Kawhi Leonard returned home to be with his family who also evacuated.
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 8, 2025
Lakers (for now) play tomorrow, Clippers return home after tonight for a game Saturday. https://t.co/JD7NykXNmf
Tragic fires in L.A. have impacted so many, including Lakers personnel such as head coach JJ Redick who lost his home. https://t.co/fTbO0NEgST
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 9, 2025
It was also reported that Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will spend time away from the team to be with his family as they were forced to evacuate due to the wildfires.
The local NHL team, the L.A. Kings, has also canceled their game against the Calgary Flames at Crypto.com Arena, originally scheduled for Wednesday night.
No date is set for when the Lakers will make this game up. In the past, the league has used the days prior to All-Star weekend to make up games. The Lakers, however, play a back-to-back just before the All-Star break, ruling that scenario out. After the All-Star break, though, Charlotte is on a West Coast road trip, so it could make sense for the two teams to play their game then.
The Lakers still have games on the schedule for Saturday and Monday, with both matchups being at home versus the San Antonio Spurs. It is unclear if those games will be affected as well.
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