NBA Adjusts Schedule: Nine Games Shifted Due to Unforeseen Weather Events

The quartet of NBA games that were postponed last week — three due to the catastrophic wildfires in the Los Angeles region and one due to a winter storm in Atlanta — has instigated a chain reaction in the league’s timetable, leading to nine games involving nine franchises being rescheduled to compensate for those dates, with one game’s make-up date still pending.

The game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets, which was initially slated for Jan. 9, is now set to occur at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 19.

Due to this alteration, the Lakers’ home contest against the Utah Jazz has been advanced by one day to Feb. 10.

No announcement has been made regarding the new date for the Lakers’ Jan. 11 home matchup against San Antonio.

In addition, the LA Clippers encountered four games impacted by the scheduling changes. Their rescheduled game against the Hornets on Jan. 11 will now take place at the Intuit Dome on March 16.

Furthermore, the NBA has also adjusted the Clippers’ home matches against the Chicago Bulls (from Jan. 21 to Jan. 20) and the Washington Wizards (March 16 to Jan. 23). Their away game against the Jazz, initially set for March 19, has been rescheduled to Feb. 13.

Starting with Wednesday’s home game against the Brooklyn Nets, the Clippers will play six games over the next nine days.

“We have played, I believe, almost [the] top-two most challenging schedules in the league thus far this season,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue on Wednesday. “That simply adds to the challenge. Therefore, we need to approach it game by game. We cannot let the schedule become an obstacle. What happened in our city was beyond the NBA’s control, and we recognize that. Hence, we need to concentrate and manage each game individually, then proceed from there.”

Lue further mentioned he was uncertain how many games Kawhi Leonard, who has been under a 20-minute restriction since his return from knee soreness on Jan. 4, would participate in during that period.

Leonard will be sidelined for the Clippers’ game on Thursday in Portland, which is the second in a series of back-to-back games for the Clippers, according to Lue on Wednesday.

At least 25 individuals have lost their lives as various wildfires continue across the Los Angeles vicinity. Approximately 82,000 residents remain under mandatory evacuation orders, and over 12,000 structures, including the residence of Lakers coach JJ Redick, have suffered damage or destruction.

The Atlanta Hawks’ home contest against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 11 was postponed due to a winter storm and “to ensure the safety of players, fans, and staff owing to the extreme weather and perilous icy conditions.” That game is now scheduled to happen in Atlanta on Jan. 28.

Other matchups impacted by the rescheduling include the Wizards at Jazz (shifted from Jan. 23 to March 19) and Wizards at Trail Blazers (adjusted from March 18 to March 17).

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