LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Chicago Bulls’ home game against the Miami Heat on Thursday was postponed at the 11th hour because of an unplayable court.

A National Basketball Association (NBA) statement said the game at the United Center had been postponed “due to moisture on the floor rendering the court unplayable.”

Tip-off for the game was initially delayed, before the fixture was called off. A new date for the game will be announced later.

The United Center is home to the Chicago Blackhawks ice hockey team, who played at the venue on Wednesday and have another fixture at the arena on Friday.

While NBA games being postponed due to unplayable conditions is rare, Thursday’s postponement is not without precedent.

In 2016 a game between the Sacramento Kings and Philadelphia 76ers was postponed after condensation from the ice rink under the court made the playing surface slippery.

A similar problem occurred at Minneapolis’s Target Center in 2017, when the Minnesota Timberwolves had to postpone a home game against the Portland Trail Blazers after the venue had hosted an ice hockey fixture as well as a “Disney on Ice” show.

Elsewhere in the league, Utah beat Dallas, 116-114, while Minnesota defeated Cleveland, 131-122 and Indiana edged Charlotte, 114-112.