Pacers-Bulls will be played Monday night — but without fans
With heavy snow and winds in downtown Indy, the franchise closed the building to fans.
The Pacers are scheduled to the play the Chicago Bulls Monday night and it’s a full go. However, it will be played without fans in the stands at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
A travel advisory was issued for Marion County in effect at 5:00 p.m. Monday, two hours before game time, due to significant snowfall expected combined with heavy winds.
The Pacers then worked quickly and soon decided against hosting fans in consideration for the advisory. The decision was made around 3:30 p.m. ET Monday.
“The guys took their time on driving in and I stay very, very close to the practice facility so the routines were fine,” head coach Nate Bjorkgren said pregame. “Just a little bit more time coming in, had to play it safer.”
The Pacers have been allowing up to 1,500 fans at each home game.
Fans who purchased tickets through the team or Ticketmaster will receive automatic refunds and will be contacted directly by email. Others may seek refunds at the original point of purchase.
It’s the Pacers’ only home game over a 15-day stretch. They’ve won 10 consecutive games over the Bulls, a Central Division opponent.
If you have Fox Sports Indiana, plan to settle in and watch the game. However, the network is not available on streaming services like YouTube TV and Hulu, so here are your options for tonight and moving forward.
When I arrived around 4:15 p.m., maintenance crews were very active outside tending to the sidewalks and other walkways. Senior director Doug Weitkamp was using a snowblower on Bankers Life Court, the one-way road just north of the building, and another man was clearing off the entry points on the east side.
Here’s what it looked like inside The Fieldhouse at tip-off:
