Lakers, Clips expected to resume home slate Mon.
Written by I Dig SportsAfter postponing a couple of Saturday matchups due to the ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles area, the NBA has informed the Lakers and the Clippers that their regularly scheduled games are expected to be played Monday at Crypto.com Arena and Intuit Dome.
The Lakers are scheduled to host the San Antonio Spurs, while the Clippers will host the Miami Heat.
"It's above my pay grade," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said when asked whether it feels right to play Monday. "I think the NBA, they have a good handle on things that's going on and what they need to do. So, they make the decision. They know we're going through a tough time right now in the state of California, and they understand that.
"Hopefully, we can bring some kind of joy with the game coming back tomorrow and some togetherness, as you may, and try to put some smiles on people's faces in tough times."
The league on Friday postponed games Saturday featuring the Spurs at the Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets at the Clippers, with those contests to be rescheduled for later dates.
The NBA also said it would donate $1 million for immediate relief to the American Red Cross, World Central Kitchen and additional organizations. The Lakers also will host a donation drive at upcoming home games starting Monday, with fans encouraged to bring unused, unopened items to support the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank's relief efforts.
Approximately 105,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders amid multiple wildfires in the Los Angeles area. At least 16 people have died as a result of the fires. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in L.A. history, with more than 5,600 structures destroyed over 24,000 acres.
"This is probably the biggest thing I've been a part of," Lue said. "Just seeing families and people lose their houses, lose their businesses, lose loved ones. It's pretty devastating, and it's tough to really fathom what they're going through right now."
Spurs guard Chris Paul, a Los Angeles resident who formerly played for the Clippers, expressed concern for the community after his team's loss Wednesday night at the Milwaukee Bucks. Paul said his wife and children evacuated their home Tuesday.
"It's definitely scary, everything that is going on," Paul said. "I'm sending so much love and prayers to some of my closest friends and family who have lost everything."
Clippers forward Nicolas Batum said his team has "been through some crazy stuff" over the past five days, including playing Wednesday's game at the Denver Nuggets as evacuations were happening in Los Angeles.
"That game in Denver was weird all day," Batum said. "I was on the phone with my family all day. I didn't sleep that night.
"I think I stopped checking my phone three minutes before game. I checked at halftime. I never do that. Just to make sure my wife and kids were OK."
The Spurs arrived in Santa Monica early Thursday after landing in Los Angeles on a flight that commenced shortly after the team's matchup at Milwaukee. The club checked into its team hotel in Santa Monica but decided hours later to relocate to a hotel in downtown Los Angeles for precautionary reasons.
The NBA had previously postponed Thursday's matchup between the Lakers and the Hornets at Crypto.com Arena, with that game still yet to be rescheduled.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said last week that he lost his home in the Palisades Fire.
Following Monday's games, the Lakers are scheduled to host the Heat on Wednesday, while the Clippers will host the Brooklyn Nets the same day.
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Dave McMenamin contributed to this report.