Lakers, Clippers return to their home courts after days of fire devastation across Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Lakers and the Clippers both went back to work Monday night in Los Angeles’ first two NBA games since catastrophic wildfires killed at least 24 people and destroyed significant sections of their hometown.
The Lakers hosted the San Antonio Spurs in their downtown arena, while the Clippers hosted the Miami Heat in their brand-new Intuit Dome in Inglewood about 10 miles south of downtown.
Lakers coach JJ Redick and his family lost their home in the Pacific Palisades in the fires Tuesday. He was grateful to get back on the court with his players for their first game in six days, believing that sports can provide a small uplift to an exhausted city.
“I think a group functions best when you draw strength from each other, and the way my players, my staff, the organization has supported, rallied around me, rallied around the city … there’s real strength in that,” Redick said. “That’s the receiving of strength. Then it’s our job to go give strength and give hope and give joy. Sports are a lot of things, and sports can certainly provide an escape and a distraction. Hopefully sports tonight can provide some joy as well.”
The NBA postponed two home games for the Lakers and one home game for the Clippers last week while the fires still raged. The NFL also moved the Los Angeles Rams’ wild-card playoff game against Minnesota to suburban Phoenix on Monday night.
Redick said some of his players had been under an evacuation warning in recent days, and one couldn’t make it to work on time because of activity around his home. Redick and his family lost almost everything they owned in their rented home.
“I’ve been overwhelmed with the amount of support and love and generosity that people have shown to me and my family, and really all families that have been affected by this,” Redick said.
The Lakers staged a donation drive outside their arena before they hosted the Spurs, accepting food and packaged personal items. The Lakers and Clippers were among 12 Los Angeles-area pro sports teams that announced Monday they will contribute more than $8 million combined for local relief efforts.
The Lakers displayed the message “Thank you first responders” on their scoreboard before the game and observed a moment of silence before point guard Gabe Vincent spoke to the crowd.
“On behalf my teammates, this organization, our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by this,” Vincent said. “We’d definitely like to give a shoutout to the first responders who are putting their lives on the line right now to protect our community. I think it’s important at this time that we come together as a city, as a community, as a family, to help support those that are in need right now.”
The Clippers covered every seat at Intuit Dome with giveaway white towels featuring the words “LA Strong” and a blue image of the state of California.
“We’re so thankful for the first responders, but we ache for the victims,” public address announcer Eric Smith said before the game. “The smoke will lift and they will return and rebuild, because this is LA. Today we all stand together (as) one team, one Los Angeles.”
The two teams’ opponents also went through several days of uncertainty due to the wildfires.
The Spurs were supposed to play back-to-back games against the Lakers starting Saturday. The Heat, who will face the Lakers on Wednesday, didn’t know if they would be allowed to head to Los Angeles last Saturday until after their game in Portland.
“We understand our responsibility,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We want to do whatever we can in this profession. We’re coming with great empathy and grace, and if our role is to provide entertainment and inspiration, then that’s our role. But while we’re doing that, we’re thinking about all the devastation and all people are dealing with. It’s just been horrible.”
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AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Inglewood contributed to this report.
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