A trio of NBA games have been postponed in Los Angeles in recent days due to the wildfires that have devastated the city. However, league officials have told teams that games will resume on Monday night.
The Lakers are hosting Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs at Crypto.com Arena, and the Spurs were told to expect the game to go forward, reports Tom Osborne of the San Antonio Express-News.
The NBA has informed the Spurs they will be playing the Lakers on Monday night, a team spokesman said.
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) January 12, 2025
The Lakers announced they would host a donation drive at their upcoming games at Crypto.com Arena starting Monday to support the Los Angeles community and relief efforts for the Southern California wildfires (donations will also be accepted before the Wednesday and Friday games in the arena).
The Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat will be at the Intuit Dome to take on the Clippers, and that game also is expected to go forward.
The Clippers say they have gotten word from the NBA that, as of now, their game against the Heat on Monday night will proceed.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 12, 2025
The situation may change as the fires in the hills around the city have not been contained, but as of now, the teams are moving forward. The NFL’s Los Angeles Rams were set to host the Minnesota Vikings in a playoff game Sunday night, but that has been moved to Monday night in Arizona.
The Lakers’ two most recent home games and the Clippers’ one were postponed due to the fires that have ravaged parts of Los Angeles and left a cloud of smoke over much of the region.
Those fires have left 16 dead (a number that is expected to climb), more than 12,000 structures have been destroyed, and more than 150,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes. Among the thousands of destroyed homes was the one where Lakers’ coach J.J. Redick lived in and the childhood home of Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Firefighting crews have made progress in containing the fires over the weekend because the winds that have fanned the flames died down, allowing the use of water/fire retardant dropping planes and helicopters in the fight. However, winds are expected to pick up in Los Angeles in the coming days.