Sources: Pacers at Rockets postponed
With six days between games, the Pacers will benefit from the down time.
UPDATE: 1:50 p.m. ET on Saturday
Instead of Saturday being a game day, they held their first intense practice in almost two months. Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren said it felt like a training camp atmosphere. That was possible because they don’t play again until Wednesday since Saturday’s game in Houston was postponed.
Last time we talked to him, around the same time on Friday, the game was on.
“I bet you it was, shoot, three minutes after I talked to you guys,” Bjorkgren said of when he found out. “It was right when I walked out the door (of the practice facility). I checked my phone and then I had a text from our front office about that.”
The text alerted him to their change in schedule. Instead of flying out around 4:30 p.m. ET, they pushed the flight to Saturday, the day of the game. The extra time would give Rockets officials and the NBA more time to decide whether a postponement was necessary.
An hour later, though, the game was off.
“Whatever the schedule brings us or throws at us, we continue to use it to our advantage,” he said. “Our thoughts are with the people in Texas and in Houston. I hope they are safe and getting closer and closer to having their normal lives back with water and power and warmth and you name it. It was the right decision for the game not to be played and we support that decision.”
The Pacers were scheduled to play the Rockets Saturday night in Houston, but that game has been postponed, league sources told Fieldhouse Files.
This is the second straight Rockets game postponed due to ongoing weather conditions in Texas. The Rockets were supposed to host the Mavericks on Friday. Thousands of Texans are still without power and running water.
The Pacers practiced on Friday and were scheduled to touch down in Houston early Friday evening.
“We are geared up and ready to go for tomorrow,” Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren said after practice, around 1:30 p.m. ET.
A short while later, though, the team was informed that their flight was canceled, sources said.
“Following discussions with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and the NBA, the Rockets game scheduled at Toyota Center vs. Indiana on Saturday, Feb. 20 has been postponed due to utility shortages and other issues in the area caused by inclement weather this week,” the Rockets said in a statement Friday afternoon.
Already, Monday’s Pacers home game against the Spurs was postponed after four San Antonio players tested positive for the coronavirus.
With their next two games now off, the Pacers have six days between games. They’ve won three of their last four games and have six games left until the All-Star break.
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Meanwhile, the Rockets are on a seven-game losing streak and former Pacers guard Victor Oladipo has sat out the last three games with a right foot strain.