The Lakers and Clippers on Monday returned to NBA action with a strong nod to the first responders battling the Los Angeles wildfires and hoping to bring “some joy” to their ravaged city.
The Lakers fell to the San Antonio Spurs 126-102 at their Crypto.com Arena in downtown LA, while the Clippers beat the Miami Heat 109-98 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood several kilometers south.
“Sports are a lot of things and sports can certainly provide an escape and a distraction,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick, who lost the home he shared with his wife and two sons when the Palisades fire erupted last week.
Photo: AFP
“Hopefully sports tonight can provide some joy as well,” Redick said.
More than 90,000 people remained displaced on Monday, seven days after multiple wind-driven blazes erupted.
At least 24 people have been killed and thousands left without homes, and authorities warned that winds forecast to intensify again yesterday could lead to “extreme fire behavior and life-threatening conditions.”
Photo: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / USA Today
Two Lakers games and one Clippers game had been postponed before Monday’s contests went ahead, and both teams dedicated the night to the community and first responders.
“I hope it can bring some smiles to some faces,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “It’s been tough the last four or five days. We’re still supportive in every way we can be as an organization, as a staff, doing whatever we can. Once these games are over it’s still back to real life.”
Spurs veteran Chris Paul, a former Clipper whose family had to evacuate their Los Angeles home, said the uncertainty caused by the fires was hard on the visiting teams, too.
Photo: AP
“But I think us along with the Lakers probably were just excited to get a chance to hoop,” said Paul, who was a teammate of Reddick when both were with the Clippers.
The Lakers staged a donation drive outside their arena before they hosted the Spurs, accepting food and packaged personal items. The Lakers and Clippers were among 12 Los Angeles-area pro sports teams that on Monday announced they would contribute more than US$8 million combined for local relief efforts.
Elsewhere, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the NBA-worst Washington Wizards 120-106. Anthony Edwards, who scored 41 points, was earlier on Monday fined US$50,000 by the NBA for an obscene gesture directed at an official on Saturday.
The Toronto Raptors survived the Golden State Warriors 104-101, the Detroit Pistons overcame the New York Knicks 124-119 and the Houston Rockets edged the Memphis Grizzlies 120-118.
Additional reporting by staff writer, with AP
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