Clock and scoreboard malfunction delays Rockets vs. Suns game

HOUSTON (AP) — Monday’s game between the Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns was briefly delayed because of a malfunction of the clocks and scoreboard before play resumed without either working.

The problems began early in the second quarter when the game clock, shot clock and scoreboard stopped working. The clock and shot clocks went blank and the scoreboard was frozen with the score at the end of the first quarter.

After play resumed, the public address announcer periodically announced the time remaining on the clock, gave the time left on the shot clock early in the count and counted down when the shot clock got under 10. He also announced the score of the game every couple of minutes.

During the delay, some Phoenix players jogged in place or skipped on the court to stay loose. Houston’s Tari Eason took a different path, sitting in an empty courtside seat and chatting with a fan for a bit before returning to the court.

The clock and scoreboard began working with about four minutes left in the first half, and the shot clocks were restored for the start of the third quarter.

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