Local Sports

Pacers, Pelicans Postponed in New Orleans Over Concerns of Roof Leak

The NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans was postponed Wednesday mnight after nearly two-hour delay because of a roof leak that briefly allowed rain water to puddle near one of the foul lines.
 
While Smoothie King Center crews fashioned a fabric catch basin in the rafters to stop water from dripping on the court, Pacers coach Nate McMillan said coaches and players on both teams didn't want to risk an injury in the event the make-shift fix didn't hold up for the duration of Wednesday night's game.
 
Officials have not yet announced when the game will be made up.
 
Rain fell on and off throughout the day in New Orleans, but water on the court did not appear to be an issue during warmups.
 
Smoothie King Center general manager Alan Freeman said the source of the leak was difficult to determine without inspecting the roof at another time, so the catch basin was the only possible solution for game night.
 
Freeman says the leak was causing water to run down to a ring of hanging speakers and then drip down to the court.
 
However, no one noticed a problem until about 30 minutes before the scheduled 7 p.m. tip-off.
 
Initially, officials announced that tip would be moved to 7:30, but even after the court was dry, there were no signs of players coming out for a 10-minute warm-up that was supposed to take place before the delayed start of the game. Pelicans All-Star Anthony Davis came out alone at one point and inspected the area where water had fallen.

Townhall Top of the Hour News

Local Weather - Sponsored By:

CLINTON WEATHER

Local News

DeWittDN on Facebook