[ad_1]
from: CLAY BAILEY, Associated Press
Posted: Oct 5, 2021 / 10:43 PM CDT
Updated: October 5, 2021 / 10:43 p.m. CDT
Fans wait outside the FedEx forum after a fire alarm goes off during a preseason NBA basketball game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 in Memphis, Tennessee (AP Photo / Brandon Dill)
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) – The exhibition game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies was suspended after three quarters of a Tuesday night when a fire alarm went off, resulting in the evacuation of the FedExForum.
At the time of the delay, the Grizzlies were leading both teams at 87:77 at the start of the preseason.
Officials said the problem was a false alarm caused by a sprinkler in a non-public area. The delay was just over an hour after the alarm went off and the game entered.
“Given the long delay, the league, in consultation with the Bucks and the Grizzlies, decided not to end the game in the interests of player safety,” said the NBA.
All fans were evacuated from the building when the alarm went off as officers tried to determine the next step. At some point, not long after the teams had left the floor, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer walked across the square with a suitcase in tow. Gradually, other Bucks players and staff, some of whom were carrying pans of food for post-game meals, left the building.
Although the team waited until the official word to leave to leave, after the significant delay it was questionable whether the teams would return as the players would prepare for another 12 minutes of basketball.
“A unique experience tonight,” said Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins. “Nobody could have known that this would have happened. Great cooperation between both teams and the league. Lots of dialogue. And it was definitely unique. “
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
[ad_2]
