LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NBA postponed the Los Angeles Lakers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday due to the ongoing wildfires raging across the greater Los Angeles area. This marks the second consecutive day a game in downtown Los Angeles has been called off, following the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings’ scheduled match against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.
The rescheduled dates for these postponed games will be announced in the future, with the Kings confirming that tickets for the postponed game against Calgary will remain valid for the new date. As of Thursday morning, three major wildfires were actively burning in various parts of the expansive Los Angeles metroplex, spurred by fierce winds over the past two days. Despite a significant blaze erupting in the Hollywood Hills near the heart of the entertainment industry on Wednesday evening, it had been brought under control by Thursday morning.
Approximately 180,000 individuals are under evacuation orders, and the fires have scorched around 45 square miles (117 square kilometers) of land, roughly equivalent to the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire has already become the most devastating fire in Los Angeles’ history.
In NFL news, the Los Angeles Rams reaffirmed to season-ticket holders and fans on Thursday morning that their NFC wild-card round playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings is still scheduled to take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Monday night. The NFL contingency plan, should relocation be necessary, involves moving the game to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Facing air quality concerns due to the wildfires, both the Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers are monitoring the situation closely as they continue their preparations for upcoming playoff matchups. The Chargers adjusted their practice schedule on Wednesday to minimize outdoor exposure for players in response to unhealthy air quality readings. Meanwhile, the Rams conducted their first practice of the week on Thursday in Woodland Hills, located around 13 miles north of the fire-affected Pacific Palisades.
Elsewhere, Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard unexpectedly departed the team ahead of their game in Denver on Wednesday for personal reasons. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue expressed full support for Leonard’s decision, emphasizing the importance of attending to family matters.
In college basketball, the Pepperdine women’s team also postponed their Thursday night home game against the University of Portland in Malibu due to the ongoing fire-related disruptions. Pepperdine University suspended classes on Wednesday, with limited access to its coastal campus in effect.___
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