When Anthony Davis described watching the flames approach his family home, he didn’t sound like a star Lakers player.

He sounded like a worried father.

When JJ Redick recalled how Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul of the San Antonio Spurs gave their sons signed, game-worn jerseys to rebuild the collection of memorabilia lost in the Palisades fire, he didn’t sound like it the coach of one of the Los Angeles franchise’s signatures.

He sounded like a grateful parent.

The Lakers returned to work Monday and played their first home game since the Southern California wildfires.

The players and coaches didn’t talk about a return to normality because they knew there were people for whom life would never be normal again. They knew how powerless they were against this force of nature. Davis spoke of the joy that sports can bring, but added an important additional feature: “Even if it’s only temporary.”

You wanted this night to mean something, but what?

“Win, lose, draw, this game is over and everything goes on in the world,” Davis said. “Bittersweet in a way because we still have people dealing with real-life situations and we can go out here and play basketball.”

Davis shared what it was like to first hear about the Palisades fire while the Lakers were on their way to a game against the Dallas Mavericks.

He said he thought about his wife and children and “you start freaking out.”

Davis said he heard about the burning of Redick’s rental house.

“Then my wife started telling me about my daughter’s classmates whose families had lost their homes. And my daughter, wherever she rides, was gone. And some of my son’s classmates and how their houses disappeared. I started getting hard, started getting emotional.”

Davis later saw the Palisades Fire approaching his home. He and his family were evacuated.

“Obviously it’s a difficult time for our city,” Davis said. “One thing we’ve found over the course of COVID is that exercise is somehow bringing joy back to people, even if it’s just temporarily.”

Redick shared a similar desire.

Of the way the Lakers players and staff supported him after his house was burned, Redick said: “There’s real strength in that. And that is the way of receiving strength. Then it is our job to give strength, give hope and give joy.”

He also received support from Paul, his former Clippers teammate, who he said was part of his “inner inner circle of brothers.” Redick revealed he received a call from Paul before their game on Monday.

Paul told him that he and Wembanyama would give their sons their jerseys “whether you win or we win.” Paul kept his promise. As the Spurs completed their 126-102 victory over the Lakers, Paul walked to the courtside seats occupied by 10-year-old Knox and 8-year-old Kai, with the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama a couple of giraffe-long strides after them.

“He’s very aware that they’re big NBA fans,” Redick said. “I ran a podcast from home for two years and all the players still came and got either a jersey or a card signed. They had a collection of jerseys and cards and they lost all of that.”

Paul said he considers Redick part of his family. He said of Redick’s children: “I remember the birth of those children. I can’t imagine what it was like for her.”

The Spurs were also affected by the fires as they arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday for two games against the Lakers, the first of which was scheduled for Saturday and was postponed. They changed hotels because of the Palisades fire.

“We definitely feel it’s a stressful time,” Wembanyama said. “You can feel that many people are directly affected by this.”

Paul was one of them.

The 39-year-old’s family continues to live in Los Angeles and had to vacate their home.

He said his family was “doing well,” partly because he happened to be back in town.

“The way God works sometimes,” he said.

Paul’s extended family who live in the area?

“It’s been a rough week or so,” Paul said.

Paul and Davis expressed their admiration for the first responders. Davis said Lakers players have talked about inviting some of them to Crypto.com Arena to watch the games from a suite.

However, Davis warned: “The fight is not over yet.”

“I’m sure, as you all know,” Paul said, “we’re all preparing for the wind to pick up again.”