LOS ANGELES — 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 kilometres) — roughly the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history.
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 per cent,” 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.”
NFL Playoffs
The NFL has moved the Rams' wild-card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings to Arizona.a.
The playoff game will be played Monday night at State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, in suburban Glendale, Ariz.
The league announced the decision Thursday, a few hours after yet another fire broke out in an area several miles from the Rams' training complex in the Woodland Hills neighborhood.
Los Angeles has been besieged by multiple wildfires all week following two days of extraordinary wind across the vast metropolitan area.
While none of the fires is burning near SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, the NFL is moving the game amid concerns about air quality and the strain put on the community and the possible demands on police and fire department personnel.
The Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers both practised outdoors this week, but were concerned about the air quality.
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, while the Rams don’t resume practice until Thursday. The Chargers are on the road Saturday against the Houston Texans in the wild-card round.
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 when the offense began their afternoon session. Anything above 150 is considered unhealthy.
College basketball
The Pepperdine women’s basketball team also postponed its home game scheduled for Thursday night against the University of Portland at Firestone Field House on the school’s Malibu campus, the West Coast Conference announced. Pepperdine canceled classes Wednesday, and access to its coastal campus is restricted.
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