After being out of action since Tuesday, with two games postponed because of deadly wildfires in Southern California, the Los Angeles Lakers appear set to resume their home schedule Monday against the San Antonio Spurs.
The teams also had a game scheduled for Saturday at Los Angeles before it was called off.
The wildfires have destroyed as many as 12,000 structures and have caused a reported 24 deaths, prompting the NBA to postpone the Lakers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets last Thursday.
Los Angeles head coach JJ Redick said his home in Pacific Palisades burned to the ground in one of at least five wildfires in the area that began Tuesday when the Lakers lost 118-97 on the road against the Dallas Mavericks.
While firefighters have gotten a better handle on the situation, there is a forecast for increased winds Monday that could pose an additional threat.
Through it all, now comes the task of focusing on basketball after a devastating week for the city.
“The Lakers have been incredible, and you can go down the list,” Redick said, giving credit to owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka first and foremost. “… Our associates, my coaching staff, the players, everybody has been incredible and there have been tangible things they have done to try to help us over the last few days.”
The Lakers now aim to recover from a two-game losing streak with defeats at Houston and Dallas. If there is any positive, it is that veterans Anthony Davis and LeBron James received a few extra days of rest.
James is averaging 23.8 points with 8.8 assists and 7.7 rebounds but was under his scoring average in the two recent defeats. Davis leads Los Angeles with 25.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.
The Lakers have won three of their last four home games, with the only defeat coming against the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers on New Year’s Eve.
The Spurs haven’t played since Wednesday when they fell 121-105 on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks to extend their losing streak to three games. The skid matches San Antonio’s longest of the season.
Victor Wembanyama grabbed 10 rebounds for the Spurs against Milwaukee but managed just 10 points, his second-lowest scoring total this season. Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 24 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while veteran point guard Chris Paul had 18 points with seven assists.
“I don’t think it was anything specific, it was overall. They were better than us,” Wembanyama said about the loss to the Bucks. “They were better basketball players. We have to step up and have to respect that too.”
In the first meeting between San Antonio and Los Angeles this season, the Spurs fell 120-115 at home on Nov. 15 despite receiving 28 points and 14 rebounds from Wembanyama. Davis had 40 points for the Lakers, while he and James combined for 28 rebounds.
They played again at San Antonio on Nov. 27 and Los Angeles earned a 119-101 victory behind 20 points and eight rebounds from rookie Dalton Knecht. Wembanyama paired 20 points with 10 rebounds.
Wembanyama has played just one of his five career games against the Lakers at Los Angeles, when he scored 27 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists in a 123-118 loss on Feb. 23 of last year. He has averaged 23.6 points with 12.4 rebounds in those five contests.
Saturday’s postponed game between the teams has yet to be rescheduled.
–Field Level Media
