Update:
2:29 p.m. to reflect that the Pelicans were cleared to fly to Dallas.
Jason Kidd adapted and the Mavericks responded: Has he earned a contract extension?
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Before Mavericks game Thursday, Texas ice storm causes major travel issues for Pelicans
Dallas’ ice and freezing temperatures have kept the New Orleans Pelicans from arriving and the Detroit Pistons from leaving.
Update (Feb. 2): According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the New Orleans Pelicans are still on track to travel to Dallas from Denver for Thursday night’s game against the Mavericks, departing shortly after 11:00 a.m. Dallas time.
The Mavericks and Pelicans are set to tip off at 7:30 p.m.
Additionally, the Detroit Pistons are scheduled to finally be able to fly out of Dallas on Thursday after being stranded due to the city’s icy conditions since playing the Mavericks on Monday night.
The Pistons were able to practice on Wednesday at American Airlines Center.
The Pelicans are now taking off from Denver... game time in Dallas is scheduled tonight for 7:30 PM.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 2, 2023
More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVmnrjq https://t.co/FQOzawwByM
Original story (Feb. 1): The Dallas Mavericks’ Thursday night game against the New Orleans Pelicans is on track to avoid postponement — but not without travel headaches.
As ice and freezing temperatures disrupted travel across Texas this week, the Pelicans have not been able to leave Denver, where they played Tuesday night, to fly to Dallas.
Multiple news outlets reported Wednesday that the Pelicans plan to fly into DFW Airport on Thursday morning, in time for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at American Airlines Center.
The Detroit Pistons can commiserate.
After playing the Mavericks on Monday night, the Pistons have been stuck in Dallas and are unlikely to return to Detroit until Thursday at the earliest. That prompted the NBA to postpone the Pistons’ Thursday night game against the Washington Wizards, who have already arrived in Detroit.
The Mavericks can also relate to disjointed travel plans.
When Tropical Storm Nicole approached central Florida in mid-November, the NBA pushed up the tipoff time of the Mavericks’ Nov. 9 contest against the Orlando Magic so the team could then bus two hours to Tampa to ensure a safe takeoff for their flight to Washington for the second night of the back to back on Nov. 10.
The Mavericks also faced travel disruption Dec. 21, when their postgame flight in snowy Minnesota managed to take off for their next game, Dec. 23 against the Rockets — only to then circle in Houston fog for an hour and reroute to Dallas at about 5 a.m.
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
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