Spurs’ return home delayed by snow, mechanical issues, forcing NBA to change start time vs. Magic

The long, strange trip the San Antonio Spurs faced to get home from the East Coast led to another time change for their game Sunday against the Orlando Magic.

The Spurs will now host the Magic at 8 p.m. CST, five hours after the original tipoff.

The NBA on Saturday changed the start time from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. because of a bomb cyclone in Charlotte that grounded flights. The Spurs were scheduled to leave Charlotte following their 111-106 loss to the Hornets but had to stay overnight because of the storm that dropped nearly a foot of snow in and around North Carolina’s largest city.

The Spurs left Charlotte at 9:20 a.m. Sunday, but the flight was diverted to Atlanta because of what a team official said was a minor mechanical issue. The flight landed at 11:01 a.m. in Atlanta, where the Spurs remained for more than two hours before switching planes for their flight home. They arrived in San Antonio at 3:25 p.m.

Victor Wembanyama (left calf soreness) and (Stephon Castle (left adductor tightness) were both questionable for the game.

The Magic have been in San Antonio since Saturday morning.

San Antonio (32-16) entered the day sitting in third place in the Western Conference behind Oklahoma City (38-11) and Denver (33-16).

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba