The Miami Heat’s scheduled matchup against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night at the United Center ended in an unprecedented postponement, as condensation on the court forced both teams to abandon play after nearly two hours of delays, leaving players and fans frustrated.

Center Bam Adebayo gestured toward the locker room as his teammates trudged past him, a physical highlight of the night amid chaos, symbolizing both the disappointment and the unusual circumstances that unfolded before tipoff.

The game was originally scheduled to start at 7 p.m., but warm air inside the arena interacting with the ice sheet below the court created unsafe playing conditions, delaying the contest for almost two hours before ultimately being postponed.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra walked past fans with a strained smile, clearly peeved by the situation, as he assessed the court and watched his team prepare for a game that ultimately would not take place.

The condensation problem was reportedly caused by the Chicago Blackhawks’ ice sheet underneath the court, following the team’s game at the UC the previous night, illustrating how multi-use arenas can sometimes create unexpected complications for NBA contests.

A makeup date for the Heat-Bulls game has not been scheduled, as both teams face jam-packed schedules in the coming week, highlighting the logistical challenges of rescheduling an NBA contest on short notice in a busy arena.

The Bulls had just returned from Detroit after a loss to the Pistons on Wednesday night, meaning they were preparing for the second half of a back-to-back that ultimately never occurred, adding to the unusual circumstances of the postponement.

Guard Tre Jones described the situation as unlike anything he had ever seen, noting that the court was slippery even during pregame warmups, long before a significant crowd had entered the arena, raising safety concerns for players on both sides.

“I think it was just one of those things that they just kept trying but couldn’t get under control,” Jones said. “They were just telling us they’re gonna keep waiting. It was like 15-minute segments, and so every 15 minutes would go by, and they’re just like, ‘Trying to continue to work on it.’”

Spoelstra added that he wasn’t optimistic the game would take place from the start, explaining that as soon as the team and staff stepped onto the court, the conditions were clearly unplayable, with condensation making the surface unsafe for professional athletes.

“We always want to try to go,” Spoelstra said. “The players were complaining about [the condensation] on both sides. [The Heat] staff, we all went out there and pretty much immediately we felt that it wasn’t playable. We have that in our practice facility. When there’s condensation, it takes about 15 minutes for it to change.”

The only other known NBA postponement due to condensation occurred in March 2017, when the Portland Trail Blazers faced the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center, showing how rare such incidents are in league history.

At the time of Thursday’s postponement, temperatures outside the United Center were 57 degrees, colder than the March 2017 Minneapolis game, illustrating that condensation issues can occur in a variety of indoor climate conditions when ice and warm air meet.

Unlike the 2017 postponement, which was quickly rescheduled due to playoff implications, Miami and Chicago face scheduling conflicts, including the Blackhawks hosting the Capitals and the Heat’s upcoming weekend games, meaning a makeup date will need careful coordination in the coming weeks.

After the initial delay, players attempted to stay active by shooting around on the court, expecting a short postponement, but after 30 minutes, both teams were forced to retreat to their locker rooms as the surface remained unsafe.

Ultimately, the decision to postpone was made jointly by both teams, reflecting a rare moment of consensus in professional sports where player safety overrode scheduling priorities, media obligations, and fan expectations.

“There was no question that it was not playable,” Spoelstra said. “That’s what was disappointing. As soon as you walked out there, you knew you couldn’t play,” emphasizing the frustration of preparing for a contest that never materialized.

Jones noted that players did their best to stay ready, moving through warmups and mental preparation while waiting for the court to improve, but ultimately the conditions could not reach a safe standard for professional basketball.

“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,” Jones said, summarizing the unusual and disappointing experience for both teams.

The postponement serves as a reminder of the unique challenges NBA teams face in multi-use arenas, where ice-based facilities, scheduling demands, and temperature variations can all combine to create rare but impactful disruptions to the season.

For fans, the evening was a mix of frustration and curiosity, witnessing a highly unusual occurrence in professional basketball that will likely be remembered for its rarity as much as for the players who prepared to play but never did.