Hornets-Lakers Postponed Due To The Fires In Los Angeles

Multiple wildfires spawned by dry conditions and high winds have ravaged the Los Angeles area this week, as more than 180,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes due to the fires. Sports are well down the list of importance in Los Angeles right now, but both the NBA and NFL have games in L.A. this weekend, with decisions needing to be made about how to proceed.

On Thursday, the NBA decided to postpone Thursday night’s game between the Lakers and Hornets at Crypto.com Arena, with Shams Charania of ESPN breaking the news and Dan Woike of the L.A. Times confirming. At this time there is not an official date for a makeup game, but it is the right move by the league as it seems impossible for the focus to be on basketball as the fires continue to rage just miles from downtown. Lakers coach JJ Redick and Clippers star Kawhi Leonard were both impacted by the fires, with Leonard leaving the Clippers road trip this week to go back to L.A. as his family had to evacuate their home.

The Lakers and Clippers are both scheduled to play home games on Saturday in L.A., and everyone hopes there will be some positive updates by then on containment of the fires, particularly the Palisades and Eaton fires that are the largest. The NFL has said they are likewise monitoring the situation and that the plan for now is for the Monday night Wild Card game between the Vikings and Rams to be played at SoFi Stadium, but that they do have a contingency plan in place if necessary.