A premium Eastern Conference play-in matchup was set in Chicago on Thursday night, but neither the Bulls nor the Heat got to play a single minute of action. Instead, the game has been postponed and set for a later date after an odd event at the United Center.
In an update released on social media, the NBA finally provided some clarity nearly two hours after the scheduled 7:05 local tip-off time.
“The National Basketball Association game scheduled for tonight between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls at United Center has been postponed due to moisture on the floor rendering the court unplayable,” the league wrote in a statement. “The date for the rescheduled game will be announced at a later time.”
The NBA has strict protocol regarding the condition of the court on game day. If it’s deemed to be too hazardous, the event is canceled and rescheduled to protect player health. In this case, there was an initial delay for hours after several players noticed slick spots on the court during warmups. Eventually, officials made the rare call to postpone the match entirely, marking the first time since 2017 that a game has been called off due to slippery conditions.
Truly bizarre scenes at United Center tonight. The Bulls – Heat game has been delayed for more than a hour as crews work to clean the court from condensation caused by the torrential downpours outside, warmer temps and high humidity levels. @WGNNews pic.twitter.com/iVi5nuZdzs
— Josh Frydman (@Josh_Frydman) January 9, 2026
While it has happened before, fans struggled to grasp what might have caused the court to become so unplayable mere hours before tip-off. According to Joe Vardon, water spots were visible on the court leading up to the game, caused by unusually high humidity in the arena. As the site of the NHL Blackhawks, the Bulls court sits directly on a hockey rink, making the conditions even more dangerous for an NBA game. The weather also reportedly played a massive role, given it was up to 55 degrees in January.
The reaction from the fans is exactly what you’d expect. Along with the typical shock and disappointment, there were some who condemned the league for its response to the crisis.
“Y’all had all f**king day to get the court ready for a night game why wasn’t the public informed of these court conditions? People done bet they money on this fucking game whether it’s slips or fantasy wise and we weren’t informed so therefore we take 0s on fantasy players smh,” wrote one fan.
For many, the problem wasn’t postponing the game itself. Rather, they claim it was the massive delay leading up to the decision that was mishandled.
“Genuinely absurd the NBA has allowed this delay of Heat – Bulls to go over 90 minutes and they haven’t made some sort of ruling already,” one fan wrote. “What are we even doing with this?”
The fact that nobody noticed until pre-game warm-ups is arguably the worst part about this for the Bulls. It portrays dysfunction that fans were quick to notice.
“So nobody realized the court was slippery at any point today? The Chicago Bulls are an absolute joke,” an angry fan posted on X.
Ultimately, the biggest winner here is the players. While they might have been prepared for a game today, they now get some extra time off to rest and recover until the next game. As for the NBA, one can only hope nights like these stay a rarity, but it’s impossible to avoid with so many uncontrollable variables.
