NEW ORLEANS - The leak that caused water to drop onto the basketball court and caused the postponement of the Pelicans' game with Indiana Wednesday night did not damage the floor and should not cause any further event disruptions, according to management at the Smoothie King Center.
An inspection of the flood showed no damage that would require the floor to be replaced.
A spokesperson told Eyewitness News that the extreme cold and warm weather this winter likely caused the expansion of a seam in the roof that allowed the water from Wednesday's rains to get in.
In addition, the timing did not work out in favor of the game. The spokesperson said that if the rain had begun two hours earlier, the problem could have been remediated and the game could have been held.
The roof is 19 years old and is slated to be replaced in the next fiscal year.
Wednesday night's game was called off out of an abundance of caution for player safety," said Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry. “I just think they made an evaluation of the situation and just didn’t think it was safe enough to play the game. I think, obviously, it’s better to be safe than sorry. After looking at several things, looking at the roof and evaluating it, I think they came to the conclusion that it’s just not worth risking players.”
Fans who had tickets to the game have a few options: They can attend the rescheduled game, though the date of the contest has not yet been determined. They can exchange the ticket for a ticket to another game, or they can receive a refund.