The Spurs and Lakers will play as scheduled on Monday night after the NBA decided to resume games postponed due to wildfires in Los Angeles.
With the uncertainty the Spurs faced in the last few days, Devin Vassell felt like a rookie again. \ 'It feels like COVID kind of all over again,' the forward said. But the team gained some clarity Sunday after practice when the NBA informed it that Monday night's game against the Lakers would be played as scheduled, a team spokesman said.
\ The status of the game had been uncertain after the league postponed Saturday night's Spurs-Lakers game due to the ongoing wildfires that have destroyed more than 10,000 structures and killed at least 13 people in the Los Angeles area. \ The Spurs finished practice Sunday morning at Crypto.com Arena not knowing whether they would be playing Monday night. But word came down from the league shortly after the workout ended that the game was a go. \ The NBA postponed the Spurs-Lakers game and the L.A. Clippers-Charlotte Hornets game scheduled for Saturday night. In a statement, the league said it wanted to 'ensure that no resources will be diverted from the wildfire response efforts.' \ Despite having to change team hotels Thursday to move away from the fire that destroyed Pacific Palisades, the Spurs maintained their focus at their practices Saturday and Sunday, guard Devin Vassell said. \ Spurs at Lakers: How to watch the game, notable stats, player news \ 'With this little bit of free time, we've been able to focus on our crafts and do what we need to do,' he said. 'Just trying to get better each day.' \ In addition to their two workouts, the Spurs also had a lengthy film session Saturday. \ 'That's something we haven't really been able to do with our busy schedule,' backup point guard Tre Jones said. 'We learned about what we've been doing in games and we learned about each other and then we were able to just get on the court and work on things.' \ READ MORE: As wildfires ravage L.A. area, Spurs' maintain perspective \ The Spurs, who are 18-19 after losing three in a row, have not played since losing at Milwaukee on Wednesday night. The Lakers, 20-16, have not played since they lost to Dallas on Tuesday. \ 'I guess it's a good time for us to rest our bodies and just kind of relax,' Vassell said. 'You don't get time like this off during the season, especially with how crazy our schedule is and has been.' \ The extra days off gave Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan a chance to heal. He was questionable for Saturday's game before it was postponed after he sat out Wednesday's outing in Milwaukee with a tight lower back. Sochan practiced on Saturday and Sunday. \ For many members of the team, the uncertainty of the last several days conjured memories of life during the pandemic. \ 'We're in our hotel room, you can't go nowhere, you can't do anything,' Vassell said. 'There's nothing open. And then on top of that, it's like with everything going on, do you really want to do something? It's just a weird time to really kind of do anything.' \ Sunday marked Day 6 of a historic disaster that has already damaged or destroyed more than 10,000 structures and killed at least 13 people. \ 'It is really sad to see so many people affected by this,' Jones said. 'You either run into someone that was affected or has a friend or family member that was affected. It's so sad that that's just the reality of our world. You always kind of just get wrapped up in your own things or what's going on in your home. You don't really think about everything that's going on. And I think something like this just really puts into perspective what's going on in the real world, and that these things are going on all the time. \ 'You just got to keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers.' \ As firefighters struggled to contain six fires that have burned across Los Angeles County and wiped out several communities, the NBA continues to closely monitoring the situation after it already has postponed three games. The games will be played at a later date. \ Vassell said he understood the NBA faced some tough decisions in deciding whether to play or postpone games. \ 'If we do play, how's that going to look?' he said. 'And if we don't play, then obviously we got to figure out when we're going to play again. Is it before All-Star break (in Febuary)? I just don't know, so it's a lot of uncertainty.' \ The wildfires have disrupted the lives of members of both the Lakers and the Spurs. Lakers coach JJ Redick lost his home in Pacific Palisades and Spurs point guard Chris Paul's family was forced to evacuate their home. \ 'I know people in their organizations have been affected,' Jones said. 'We have people that we know that are affected and kind of moving pieces around right now as well.' \ Like Vassell, Jones said the league faced a difficult decision. \ '(Playing Monday's game) could be something to try to bring some normalcy to some people's lives,' Jones said. 'But it also could be too soon for tha
NBA WILDFIRES SPURS LAKERS GAME
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