NBA Reschedules Nine Games Amid Wildfires, Weather Disruptions

NEW YORK — The NBA announced Wednesday the rescheduling of nine games, including two postponed due to wildfires in Los Angeles and one delayed by severe weather in Atlanta. The changes aim to address disruptions caused by natural disasters and ensure player and fan safety.

The Los Angeles Lakers‘ game against the Charlotte Hornets, originally set for Jan. 9, will now take place on Feb. 19 at Crypto.com Arena. This adjustment also moved the Lakers’ home game against the Utah Jazz from Feb. 11 to Feb. 10. Meanwhile, the Lakers’ Jan. 11 matchup against the San Antonio Spurs remains unscheduled.

The Los Angeles Clippers faced the most significant impact, with four games rescheduled. Their postponed Jan. 11 game against the Hornets will now occur on March 16 at the Intuit Dome. Additionally, the Clippers’ home games against the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards were shifted to Jan. 20 and Jan. 23, respectively. Their road game against the Utah Jazz, initially set for March 19, will now be played on Feb. 13.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue acknowledged the challenges of the revised schedule. “We’ve played, I think, pretty much [the] top-two hardest schedule in the league so far this year,” Lue said Wednesday. “It just adds to it. So, we’ve just got to take it game by game. We can’t fall victim to the schedule.”

Lue also confirmed that star forward Kawhi Leonard, who has been on a 20-minute restriction since returning from knee inflammation on Jan. 4, will sit out Thursday’s game in Portland as part of a back-to-back stretch.

The wildfires in Los Angeles have caused widespread devastation, with at least 25 fatalities, 82,000 people under evacuation orders, and over 12,000 structures damaged or destroyed. The Atlanta Hawks‘ Jan. 11 game against the Houston Rockets was postponed due to a winter storm and rescheduled for Jan. 28.

Other rescheduled games include the Washington Wizards at Utah Jazz (moved from Jan. 23 to March 19) and the Wizards at Portland Trail Blazers (shifted from March 18 to March 17). The NBA has yet to announce a new date for the Lakers’ Jan. 11 game against the Spurs.

ESPN’s Baxter Holmes and The Associated Press contributed to this report.