MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A game between the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies was postponed Sunday because of a massive winter storm that’s moving across much of the United States.
NBA officials announced less than three hours before tipoff that the game would be rescheduled because of conditions in the Memphis area, where a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain began falling early Saturday morning and continued Sunday morning.
Both teams and the officiating crew had arrived in Memphis. That wasn’t the case in Milwaukee, where the Bucks were set to host the Dallas Mavericks at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday. The Mavs were unable to fly in Saturday night. As of early Sunday afternoon, they were still in Dallas and planning to be in Milwaukee by mid-afternoon.
An NBA G League game scheduled for Monday between the Memphis Hustle and Stockton Kings in Southaven, Mississippi, was also postponed and rescheduled for Feb. 19.
South and east of Memphis, freezing rain has collected on power lines and trees, causing widespread outages and blocked roads. Authorities had recommended people stay off the streets as the wintry mix and frigid temperatures caused a refreeze.
The Nuggets said they planned to fly out at some point on Sunday, depending on the conditions at Memphis International Airport. They are scheduled to play at home Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons.
The Grizzlies are scheduled to play the Rockets in Houston on Monday.
At least two college women’s basketball games were also postponed: No. 17 Tennessee’s visit to No. 18 Mississippi on Monday and Tulane’s visit to Memphis on Tuesday. Reschedule dates weren’t immediately announced.
In men’s basketball, a game featuring Tennessee at No. 21 Georgia was pushed back a day from Tuesday to Wednesday. Purdue Fort Wayne and IU Indianapolis, and Southern Illinois and Evansville had Sunday games postponed, without make-up dates announced.
On Saturday, the NBA postponed a game between the Warriors and Timberwolves to “prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community” after the fatal shooting of a man by a federal officer in a commercial district less than two miles from where the Timberwolves play.
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