Mavericks' flights grounded by winter storm as NBA postpones games in Memphis and Milwaukee

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The NBA postponed games in Memphis and Milwaukee on Sunday because of a massive winter storm that is creating dangerous travel conditions across much of the U.S.

The Dallas Mavericks tried twice to fly to Milwaukee for their Sunday night game against the Bucks, but conditions didn't allow it. A decision to postpone was announced a few hours before tipoff. Food that had been prepared for the game was donated to shelters in the Milwaukee area.

Earlier Sunday, a game between the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies was postponed about three hours before tipoff.

Reschedule dates were not announced.

The league also changed the start times for two games on Monday: Philadelphia 76ers at Charlotte Hornets will tip off at 3 p.m. ET instead of 7 p.m., and the Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks at 1:30 p.m. instead of 7:30 p.m.

The Memphis area was experiencing a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain that began falling early Saturday morning and continued Sunday morning. South and east of Memphis, freezing rain collected on power lines and trees, causing widespread outages and blocked roads. Authorities had recommended people stay off the streets as the wintry mix and frigid temperatures caused a refreeze.

The Nuggets said they planned to fly out at some point Sunday, depending on the conditions at Memphis International Airport. They are scheduled to play at home Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons.

The Grizzlies are scheduled to be in Houston for a game against the Rockets on Monday.

An NBA G League game scheduled for Monday between the Memphis Hustle and Stockton Kings in Southaven, Mississippi, was postponed and rescheduled for Feb. 19.

At least two college women's basketball games were postponed: No. 17 Tennessee’s visit to No. 18 Mississippi on Monday and Tulane's visit to Memphis on Tuesday. Reschedule dates were not announced.

In men's basketball, a game featuring Tennessee at No. 21 Georgia was pushed back a day from Tuesday to Wednesday. Purdue Fort Wayne and IU Indianapolis, and Southern Illinois and Evansville had Sunday games postponed without make-up dates announced.

The schedule changes come after dozens of games were moved around earlier in the week in anticipation of the storm.

Separately, on Saturday, the NBA postponed a game between the Warriors and Timberwolves to “prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community” after the fatal shooting of a man by a federal officer in a district located less than two miles away from where the Timberwolves play.

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