Fans packed the United Center in Chicago on Thursday night, eager for a classic NBA showdown between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls. Instead, what unfolded was one of the strangest nights in recent league memory—a nearly two-hour delay, mounting frustration, and ultimately a rare game postponement due to something no one could control: condensation on the court.
The Bulls and Heat were set to tip off at 7:05 p.m. local time on January 8, 2026. Both teams had plenty on the line: Chicago, at 17-20 and mired in a three-game losing streak, was desperate to turn things around in front of their home crowd. Miami, standing at 20-17, was in the midst of a critical four-game road trip. Yet, as players took to the hardwood for warmups, something felt off. The court was slick—dangerously so.
"At 9:13 on the warm-up clock, some Miami players came and said the court was real slippery and at the same time some Bulls players came over as well," referee Sean Wright told reporters. "So I checked the court conditions and then I immediately got on the horn and notified the (NBA) Replay Center what was going on."
It soon became clear this wasn’t just a minor issue. The United Center, home to both the Bulls and the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, had hosted a hockey game the night before. Warm air in the arena interacted with the ice sheet still beneath the basketball floor, causing moisture to seep up—coating the court in a thin, persistent layer of condensation. To make matters worse, Chicago was experiencing rainy, unseasonably warm weather, with temperatures in the mid-50s Fahrenheit. The conditions proved a perfect storm for a slippery disaster.
Maintenance crews sprang into action, pushing massive mops and thick towels across the court. Players from both teams tried to keep loose, dribbling and shooting while waiting for the green light. Bulls guard Tre Jones, celebrating his 26th birthday and slated to start, said he’d never seen anything like it: "They were just telling us, that pretty much, they were gonna' keep waiting," Jones explained. "It was like 15-minute segments and every 15 minutes would go by and they're just like trying to continue to work on it to make sure we had a safe playing field, but just couldn't get it figured out."
As the delay stretched past 40 minutes, an announcement in the arena projected a new start time after 8 p.m. local. Still, the moisture lingered. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, visibly frustrated, summed up the mood: "We always want to try to go. The players were complaining about it on both sides. So pretty much indeed we felt that it wasn't playable. We have that in our practice facility and when there's condensation it takes about 15 minutes for it to change. So we weren't too optimistic it was going to change."
Players and coaches cycled between the court and the locker rooms, trying to stay ready for a game that might—or might not—happen. According to Jones, "We were just trying to stay ready for when we thought the game would be started. We were just kind of waiting around and thinking that it would be ready, but it just wasn’t able to get to a place where we were able to feel comfortable playing."
By 8:53 p.m. local time, with the floor still treacherous, the Bulls made it official: the game was postponed. The crowd, after nearly two hours of uncertainty, voiced their displeasure with a chorus of boos. The Bulls organization released a statement: "The game will be made up at a later date and tickets from tonight’s game will be valid for the rescheduled game. We apologize for any inconvenience." As of January 9, 2026, no makeup date had been announced.
The NBA rarely postpones games for court conditions—this was only the second such incident in league history, the first since a 2017 matchup between the Trail Blazers and Timberwolves in Minneapolis was called off for similar reasons. That night, too, was marked by unusually warm weather and a hockey-to-basketball conversion gone awry.
For the Bulls, the night was doubly disappointing. They’d just returned from Detroit after a tough loss to the Pistons, ready to rally at home. Instead, the second half of their back-to-back was wiped out. The Heat, meanwhile, faced a logistical headache: with games already scheduled for Saturday and Sunday and a league-mandated off day on Monday, rescheduling wouldn’t be easy. The United Center was also spoken for on Friday, with the Blackhawks set to host the Capitals.
Fans and media scrambled for updates throughout the evening. TV viewers toggled between NBA TV, local networks like Chicago Sports Network and FanDuel Sports Network Sun, while streaming options such as Fubo and direct-to-consumer platforms buzzed with speculation. Still, there was no game to watch—only the surreal sight of NBA stars shooting casual jumpers and arena workers battling a losing fight against the elements.
Safety was the overriding concern. As one report explained, when the NBA flags "court conditions," it’s about more than just aesthetics. Moisture on a basketball floor is a recipe for disaster—one wrong step can mean a season-altering injury. "There was no question that it was not playable," Spoelstra stated. "That’s what was disappointing. As soon as you walked out there, you knew you couldn’t play."
Referee Sean Wright echoed the sentiment: "We just couldn’t guarantee a safe on-court experience." The consensus among coaches, players, and officials was clear—no game is worth risking careers over a slippery surface.
The Bulls and Heat now face a scheduling puzzle. Their calendars don’t align for an immediate makeup, and both teams are fighting for playoff position in a tightly packed Eastern Conference. For now, fans will have to hold onto their tickets and wait for the NBA to announce a new date.
As the arena lights dimmed and disappointed spectators filed out into the rainy Chicago night, one thing was certain: sometimes, even the best-laid plans in professional sports can be undone by forces beyond anyone’s control. The Heat and Bulls will have to wait for another night to settle their score on the court—hopefully, next time, under drier circumstances.
