Blazers finally make flight for game against Kings after weather delays; Lillard ruled out
The Portland Trail Blazers were scheduled to arrive in Sacramento a few short hours before Thursday’s game against the Kings after a severe winter storm in the Pacific Northwest caused major travel delays.
According to flightradar24.com, the Blazers’ flight left Portland at 1:42 p.m. and was expected to arrive in Sacramento at 2:48 p.m., about four hours before Thursday’s 7 p.m. game at Golden 1 Center.
The Blazers announced they would rest star point guard Damian Lillard and forward Jerami Grant after their flight to Sacramento was delayed nearly 24 hours. Anfernee Simons (ankle), Justise Winslow (ankle) and Jusuf Nurkic (calf) had already been ruled out due to injuries.
Fans on social media questioned the Blazers’ decision to rest Lillard and Grant in the first game after the All-Star break. NBA reporter Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report provided context for the decision, tweeting:
“Trail Blazers arrived at airport on Wednesday around 2:45 pm to take off for Sacramento. Stayed on plane until approximately 10 pm and headed home. Due to weather/traffic, the commute home for some players was up to two hours. Returned to airport this morning at 9 am and didn’t take off until 1:43 pm. This is why Portland is resting key players tonight in Sacramento.”
The Blazers were originally scheduled to fly out of Portland late Wednesday afternoon. They boarded their plane and spent seven hours on the tarmac before their flight was canceled.
The Blazers were hoping to depart Thursday morning, but they didn’t board their plane until noon and weren’t cleared for takeoff until after 1:30.
The NBA typically doesn’t allow teams to travel on the day of a game. Visiting teams normally travel a day or two before the game — or overnight in back-to-back situations — but sometimes exceptions are made. Earlier this month, the New Orleans Pelicans had to fly from Denver to Dallas on the day of their game against the Mavericks due to inclement weather in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
This story was originally published February 23, 2023 at 2:48 PM.
