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December 6, 2013

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Mexico City game goes up in smoke

The National Basketball Association’s long-awaited return to Mexico went up in smoke on Wednesday when the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs was postponed due to a generator malfunction.

The Mexico City arena was forced to evacuate 45 minutes before tip-off after a generator sent smoke inside the building.

The contest was scheduled to be the NBA’s first regular season game in Mexico since 1997 when Dallas took on Houston.

Instead, lights went out in parts of the arena and smoke entered the building as the teams were warming up, sending the players off the court.

The NBA said the game would be played in Minnesota later this season.

Mexico City Police said in a statement there was a fire in the generator room on the fourth floor of the modern glass-clad arena that opened in 2012.

“What happened was provoked by a short circuit in the room of generators,” the statement said in Spanish.

About 15 minutes after the scheduled start, the Spurs bus pulled away from the building. The Timberwolves bus followed soon after.

The NBA has played 19 preseason games in Mexico — more than any other country outside the United States and Canada.

On the courts, Portland took over as the Western Conference leader by beating Oklahoma City 111-104 on Wednesday, ending the Thunder’s eight-game winning streak.

LaMarcus Aldridge had a season-high 38 points and added 13 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.

Portland moved half a game above San Antonio.

Elsewhere in the NBA, it was: Cavaliers 98, Nuggets 88; Hawks 107, Clippers 97; Suns 97, Rockets 88; Pistons 105, Bucks 98; Mavericks 100, Pelicans 97; and Pacers 95, Jazz 86.

 


 

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