NBA ‘closely monitoring’ wildfires in Los Angeles to determine if Lakers vs. Hornets will proceed

Posted by Admin January 9, 2025 NBA

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The Lakers are scheduled to play the Hornets on Thursday night in Crypto.com Arena.

This is supposed to be their first game back home after a two-game road trip in Texas, where they lost to both the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks.

However, since Tuesday, Los Angeles County has been dealing with multiple wildfires that have burned thousands of acres of land and have forced many to evacuate the Palisades, Pacific Coast Highway and Pasadena.

Lakers coach JJ Redick is among those whose family had to evacuate the Palisades for their own safety.

Prior to the team’s game most recent matchup against the Mavs, Redick spoke about the situation happening in Los Angeles (h/t Dan Woike/LA Times).

“I want to acknowledge and send thoughts and prayers to everyone in Palisades right now,” Redick said before the Lakers lost to the Dallas Mavericks. “It’s where I live. My family, my wife’s family, my wife’s twin sister. They’ve evacuated. I know there are a lot of people freaking out right now, including my family.

With the wildfires being so severe in Los Angeles County, NBA spokesman Mike Bass stated that the league is “closely monitoring” the situation to determine if the upcoming matchup between the Lakers and Hornets will continue as scheduled on Thursday night in downtown Los Angeles.

In response to Lakers-Hornets status with wildfires in LA area, NBA spokesman Mike Bass: “We are in communication with the Lakers and Hornets and continue to closely monitor the situation to determine if any scheduling adjustments are necessary related to tomorrow night’s game.”

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 8, 2025

One event has already been canceled at Crypto.com Arena. The NHL postponed the L.A. Kings matchup against the Calgary Flames at Crypto.com Arena, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday night.

While Crypto.com Arena is not in the area that the fires have directly impacted, many Angelinos have been affected by this disaster.

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, for example, will spend time away from the team to be with his family as they were forced to evacuate due to the wildfires.

Lakers stars such as LeBron James and Magic Johnson have shared their condolences regarding the situation via social media.

Hopefully, these wildfires can be contained as soon as possible and as much damage as possible can be prevented.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.