The NBA postponed the Los Angeles Lakers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday due to several large wildfires burning across Los Angeles.
This is the second day in a row that a game scheduled 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 of the postponed matches will be announced later. The Kings said tickets for their postponed game against Calgary will be good for the rescheduled date.
Three large fires were burning in areas of the vast metropolis of Los Angeles after two days of extraordinary winds. A major threat erupted Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills, near the heart of the entertainment industry, but was contained by Thursday morning.
About 180,000 people are under evacuation orders, and the fires have consumed about 45 square miles (117 square kilometers) — about the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles.
The Vikings-Rams playoff game is still scheduled for Monday
The Los Angeles Rams sent a statement to season ticket holders and fans Thursday morning reiterating that Monday night’s NFC wild-card postseason game against the Minnesota Vikings will be played as scheduled Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
The NFL said Wednesday night that if the game had to be moved, it would be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, home of the Arizona Cardinals.
In 2003, the league moved a Monday night regular season game between the Miami Dolphins and the San Diego Chargers to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona due to wildfires.
Both the Rams and Los Angeles Chargers practice in fire-free areas, but both teams are monitoring air quality and its potential impact on their practices.
The Chargers changed their practice schedule Wednesday to reduce the amount of time their players spend outdoors in coastal El Segundo. The Chargers leave after practice on Thursday for Houston and their AFC 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 compound on Wednesday was 185. Anything above 150 is considered unhealthy.
The Rams held their first training session on Thursday. They are based in Woodland Hills, a neighborhood located about 13 miles north of fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades but separated by the Santa Monica Mountains.
WATCH l Out-of-control wildfires surround Los Angeles:
Multiple wildfires have engulfed the Los Angeles area, destroying dozens of buildings and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes. Fire crews are also battling high winds and reduced water supplies.
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard abruptly left the team before Wednesday’s game in Denver for what the team described as personal reasons. Leonard bought a house in Pacific Palisades in 2021.
“You definitely have to take care of home … I had my 100 percent support,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “I go back, check on his family and kids, make sure they’re okay. And he’s back, and they’re okay, so I’m happy and grateful for that.”
The Pepperdine women’s basketball team also postponed a 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 was restricted.
