The much-anticipated showdown between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Thursday night faced an unexpected postponement, as a nearly two-hour delay was caused by slippery court conditions.

Officials pointed to the “court conditions” as the reason for the delay, which was attributed to moisture accumulation on the playing surface. The United Center, which also hosts the Chicago Blackhawks, had seen hockey action just a day prior and was scheduled for another game on Friday. Despite efforts from the staff to dry the floor with mops and towels, the issue persisted.

At 8:53 p.m., the game was officially called off, much to the dismay of the audience, who expressed their frustration with boos. The new date for the match has yet to be determined.

Prior to this, the Bulls were struggling with a record of 17-20, having lost their last three games. The Heat, standing at 20-17, were in the midst of a four-game road swing.

Originally slated for a 7:05 p.m. start, an announcement around 40 minutes later pushed the anticipated tip-off to after 8 p.m. local time, before the eventual cancellation.

Maintenance personnel pushed large mops across court while players from both teams milled about dribbling, shooting and chatting at the start of the delay. At about 7:50 p.m. players and coaches returned to their dressing rooms and the floor was cleared to allow workers to attempt to dry the the surface using mops and towels.

Game officials, then Heat players and coaches, started returning to the floor at 8:25 p.m. Bulls coaches and a handful of Chicago players led by Coby White followed minutes later and filtered about. Bulls head coach Billy Donovan and Miami coach Erik Spoelstra were among those chatting.

The teams then exited the court at 8:45 p.m. without attempting to warm up.

Temperatures in Chicago reached the mid-50s on a rainy Thursday.