The Hawks were greeted by a winter storm when they returned to Atlanta early Friday morning after a long West Coast trip.
While the majority of the storm had left the Atlanta area by Saturday morning, the dangerous icy conditions it left behind prompted NBA officials to postpone the Hawks’ scheduled home game against the Houston Rockets.
The league said the decision was made “to prioritize the safety of players, fans and staff due to severe weather and dangerous icy conditions in the Atlanta area.” The Rockets flight arrived in Atlanta before the postponement was announced.
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A basketball on the court next to an NBA logo during a break in the first half of a 2023 NBA Summer League game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 7, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
A winter storm dumped snow and ice on the Atlanta area Friday, and some roads were expected to refreeze Saturday evening.
NHL postpones Kings-Flames game following devastating California wildfires
The number of power outages around Atlanta increased Friday evening as trees falling on power lines became a widespread problem. More than 110,000 customers were without power, mostly in the Atlanta area.
A truck jackknifes while another spins its wheels on a slush exit off Interstate 285 northeast of downtown Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
The dangerous icy conditions in the southeastern part of the United States come amid a very different set of extremes on the West Coast. Southern California continues to grapple with devastating wildfires that broke out earlier this week in the Los Angeles metro area.
On Friday, the NBA announced that the Lakers and Clippers home games scheduled for January 11 would not take place as originally planned due to the ongoing wildfires.
“The NBA and the Clippers and Lakers organizations have been in communication with local authorities in Los Angeles and Inglewood regarding the current situation in the Los Angeles area and the game postponements ensure that no resources will be diverted from wildfire response efforts,” the league said. in a statement.
Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
The Lakers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets on January 9 had already been postponed.
The NBA also announced that the National Basketball Players Association would donate $1 million to the American Red Cross and other organizations to help with disaster relief efforts.
The Lakers have played home games in downtown Los Angeles for several decades. The Clippers stopped sharing an arena with the Lakers at the start of the 2024-25 NBA season, when the franchise moved to the $2 billion Intuit Dome in nearby Inglewood, Calif. .
It remains unclear whether the conditions will cause additional Lakers or Clippers home games to be postponed. Rescheduled dates for postponed Hawks, Lakers and Clippers games will be announced at a later date, the league said.
The Hawks are scheduled to host the Phoenix Suns on January 14.
