NBA postpones Lakers against Hornets due to California fires

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NBA postponed the Los Angeles Lakers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area.

It is the second straight day a game slated to be played in downtown Los Angeles has been postponed. The NHL’s Los Angeles Kings were scheduled to host the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.

The date for the rescheduled games will be announced at a later time. The Kings said tickets for their postponed game against Calgary will be good for the rescheduled date.

Three major fires were burning in areas of the vast Los Angeles metroplex following two days of extraordinary winds. A major threat broke out Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills, close to the heart of the entertainment industry, but had been contained by Thursday morning.

Roughly 180,000 people are under evacuation orders, and the fires have consumed about 45 square miles (117 square kilometers) — roughly the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history.

NFL Playoffs at risk of moving to Arizona due to California fires

The Los Angeles Rams sent out a statement to season-ticket holders and fans Thursday morning reiterating that Monday night’s NFC wild-card round postseason game against the Minnesota Vikings remains set to be played as scheduled Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

The NFL said Wednesday evening if the game had to be moved, it would take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the home of the Arizona Cardinals.

In 2003, the league moved a Monday night regular-season game between the Miami Dolphins and San Diego Chargers to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, due to wildfires.

The Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers both train in areas not threatened by fires, but both teams are monitoring the air quality and its potential impact on their workouts.

The Chargers changed their practice schedule Wednesday to minimize their players’ outdoor time in coastal El Segundo. The Chargers are leaving after practice on Thursday for Houston and their AFC wild-card matchup against the Texans on Saturday.

Coach Jim Harbaugh had the Chargers’ offensive and defensive units practice separately to limit their time on the field. The air quality at the team’s complex was 185 on Wednesday. Anything above 150 is considered unhealthy.

The Rams held their first practice on Thursday. Their headquarters are in Woodland Hills, a neighborhood located about 13 miles north of fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades but separated by the Santa Monica Mountains.

Other impact of the fires in the NBA

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard abruptly left the team before its game at Denver on Wednesday because of what the team described as personal reasons. Leonard bought a house in Pacific Palisades in 2021.

“You definitely have to take care of home. … Totally had my support 100%,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Going back, checking on his family and kids, making sure they’re well. And he got back, and they’re doing OK, so just happy and thankful for that.”

College basketball

The West Coast Conference postponed women’s basketball games scheduled for Thursday night at Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount.

Pepperdine was scheduled to face the University of Portland at Firestone Field House on the school’s Malibu campus. Pepperdine canceled classes Wednesday, and access to its coastal campus is restricted.

Loyola Marymount had its game against San Diego postponed as a precautionary measure due to air quality concerns inside Gersten Pavilion while the facility is being renovated.

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