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
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that
RSS