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Lakers' and Clippers' Saturday games postponed due to Los Angeles wildfires

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 03: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis #3 during a 119-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks at Crypto.com Arena on January 03, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
There will no NBA games in Los Angeles this weekend. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers both had games scheduled for Saturday, but they were postponed due to the wildfires still affecting Los Angeles.

The NBA announced the postponements Friday night, noting the decision was made to "ensure no resources will be diverted from the wildfire response efforts." The league also said it and the National Basketball Players Association would be donating $1 million to the American Red Cross, World Central Kitchen and other organizations to aid disaster relief.

The Lakers were scheduled to face the San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena, while the Clippers were going to play against the Charlotte Hornets at the Intuit Dome.

Both teams still have home games scheduled for Monday.

There have already been significant consequences for both organizations due to the wildfires. The Lakers had a game scheduled for Thursday postponed as well, and head coach JJ Redick was one of many people to lose a home in the Pacific Palisades fire. Redick mentioned Friday that multiple other members of the organization had lost homes, too.

The Clippers still played a road game against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, but without star Kawhi Leonard. The former All-Star stepped away from the team after the fires affected his family.

There are still multiple wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area as of Friday afternoon. The Palisades fire that has devastated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and the Eaton fire that hit Altadena remain the largest in the area, and neither of them is more than 10% contained. They have already claimed thousands of buildings each.

It's unclear how long it will take to get every fire under control, as Los Angeles is expected to continue receiving the heavy winds that caused the fires.

The fallout of the fires have affected much more than the NBA in the sports world. The NFL opted to move a wild-card playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings scheduled for Monday to the Arizona Cardinals' State Farm Stadium. The United States women's national soccer team also moved its training camp to Florida.