The wildfires in Los Angeles continue to have an impact on the sporting world.
On Sunday, ESPN announced that the network will replace its originally scheduled game between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET with a Minnesota Timberwolves-Golden State Warriors game instead. The move comes amid uncertainty surrounding the Lakers’ schedule as a result of the wildfires in Los Angeles.
Programming Update: ESPN will present an intra-conference matchup between the @warriors & the @Timberwolves
🏀 Wednesday, Jan. 15 | 9:30p ET | ESPN
Details: https://t.co/Hrw9QzrEyC pic.twitter.com/YfWOqx0HLT
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 12, 2025
The schedule swap will also impact the first leg of ESPN’s doubleheader. The New York Knicks-Philadelphia 76ers game originally slated for 7:30 p.m. ET will move up 30 minutes to 7 p.m. ET.
The Lakers have been forced to postpone their last two scheduled games due to the wildfires; first a Wednesday game against the Charlotte Hornets, then a Saturday game against the San Antonio Spurs. Both games were scheduled to be played at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The team will resume its season on Monday evening against the Spurs.
The Lakers will resume their season Monday against the San Antonio Spurs after postponing their last two games because of the L.A. fires.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 12, 2025
Wednesday’s Timberwolves-Warriors game will be nationally broadcast, but blacked out in the San Francisco Bay Area market.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.