NO DUEL BETWEEN JOVIĆ AND VUČEVIĆ: NBA game in Chicago postponed, unexpected problem caused chaos! (VIDEO)

The game between the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat was not played overnight after all.

The NBA had scheduled the Chicago Bulls–Miami Heat matchup for the night between January 8 and 9 (local time), which excited fans in the region due to the anticipated duel between Nikola Jović and Nikola Vučević.

Although they likely would not have guarded each other directly—at least not primarily—there was a strong chance we would have seen them on the court together at some point. However…

Fate intervened, and the game was postponed.

The Bulls game has been delayed due to weather.

Please note that basketball is played indoors.

pic.twitter.com/K83SyBZY5N
— Barstool Chicago (@barstoolchicago) January 9, 2026

During warmups, players noticed that the court was in poor condition and that the hardwood was wet, which officials deemed a serious injury risk.

After repeated attempts to resolve the issue failed, the game was officially postponed at 8:53 p.m. local time (the tip-off was scheduled for 7:00 p.m.), much to the displeasure of the fans.

The Chicago Bulls later announced that tickets purchased for Thursday’s game would remain valid, but a new date has not yet been set.

Arena staff made several attempts to dry the floor, using cloths and towels to remove the moisture. Despite these efforts, officials concluded that they could not guarantee safe playing conditions.

BOŽIĆNI INTERVJU, PRINC FILIP: Najsrećniji sam bio kada je moj sin Stefan izgovorio “Oče naš” u Hilandaru

The United Center is also home to the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, who played there on Wednesday, with another game scheduled for Friday.

Combined with rainy weather and temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius above zero, as well as condensation inside the arena, these factors led to a problem that is usually resolved quickly and easily.

Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said the decision became inevitable once conditions failed to improve. “Players on both sides were complaining. We basically concluded that you can’t play under those conditions,” he said, adding that condensation issues typically take time to fix.

Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls after a hour and half

pic.twitter.com/DTkvsDJLpK
— NBA Overseas 🌍🏀 (@NBAOverseas) January 9, 2026

Bulls guard Tre Jones said the situation worsened as the arena filled up. “I think as more people came into the building, it got warmer, so the problem continued and got a little worse,” he explained.

After several delays and inspections, both teams briefly returned to the court but soon left again, without resuming their warmups.

With no clear signs of improvement, officials decided to postpone the game to avoid risking player safety.