PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The Portland Trail Blazers’ game against the Detroit Pistons was among several sporting events postponed because of a winter storm that blew into Oregon on Saturday.
Other games that were called off because of snow and ice included No. 5 Gonzaga at Portland and the Western Hockey League game between the Portland Winterhawks and the Everett Silvertips at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Trail Blazers rescheduled the game against the Pistons for Sunday night.
”The safety of our fans and players is always the highest priority, and this decision to delay our home game until Sunday was made with that in mind,” said Chris McGowan, the president and CEO of the Trail Blazers and Rose Quarter. ”Input from the NBA, local government and public safety officials also played a role in our decision to postpone until Sunday.”
Blazers’ guard Damian Lillard was asked of Twitter if it was the first time he’d been snowed out of a game, and the former Weber State star replied: ”I’ve seen way worse weather in Utah and the show went on.”
There was no makeup game yet set for the game between Gonzaga and Portland. Tickets will be honored at the rescheduled game. Fans unable to attend will be offered a ticket to another Pilots’ game at the Chiles Center.
”After consulting with a variety of public safety officials, and with the support of the West Coast Conference, it is the best decision to postpone the game,” athletic director Scott Leykam said.
No makeup date was rescheduled for the Winterhawks-Silvertips game. The Winterhawks’ game against Kamloops set for Sunday evening at the Moda Center was moved to the adjacent Memorial Coliseum because of the rescheduled Trail Blazers’ game.
The Portland State men’s basketball game with Sacramento State was expected to go on as scheduled at the Stott Center.
The decision was made to play the game because both teams and the officials were able to get to the game, and because of the difficulty in rescheduling.
In a statement, Portland State said that ”fans are not expected to come to the game unless they are certain they can make it safely.” The game would be streamed on the team’s website for those unable to attend.
The National Weather Service forecast called for the possibility of freezing rain Saturday night through Sunday morning, changing over to rain by Sunday evening as temperatures rise.
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