The Hawks will indeed host the Mavericks tonight at Philips Arena. But it was close.
Inclement weather hit the metro-Atlanta area Wednesday, prompting schools and businesses to close. A state of emergency was declared in north Georgia. A winter storm warning is in effect until 10 a.m. Thursday.
No official word from the NBA ever came as to the postponement of the game. However, Hawks employees were sent home early, members of the statistical and security crews were told not to report to the arena and Hawks players were informed the game had been postponed.
Hawks players were told around 2 p.m. that the game would not be played. About an hour later, they were told the game would be played afterall.
“There are a lot of moving parts,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “It was an unusual day. At the end of the day, we are all dealing with the same circumstances.”
The Mavericks had a 5 p.m. bus scheduled from their team hotel - to either take them to the arena or the airport.
At 3:45 p.m., notification came to team and arena employees that the game would go on as planned.
“We were packed and had out stuff, a lot of it loaded on the bus at 3:30 and on the moving truck because we had heard they had sent all the employees home here,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “Our desire was to beat the weather and get out. The ultimate decision from the league didn’t come until later in the day. All of a sudden the game was back on. So, here we are. So, let’s play.”
The Hawks said fans who purchased tickets but were unable to attend the game can return them for a refund through the original point of purchase such as the team ticket office or Ticketmaster. All refunds must be requested by Friday at 5 p.m.
