It’s business as usual for the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Two games were shortened and another was canceled because an earthquake was felt in the Las Vegas area on Friday night. But league officials said all Saturday games could be played as scheduled.
The NBA says a thorough survey was completed “by two separate independent structural engineers” who determined that the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion at UNLV were safe to open for games. Doors opened at 11 a.m. local time, as planned, and fans quickly began filing into seats.
The overhead scoreboard at the Thomas & Mack Center swayed during the quake, which caused major concern about safety. The floor in the Cox arena sustained minor damage that has since been repaired.
Several players who are expected to play in Las Vegas couldn’t join their new teams because their rights were traded at the June 20 draft in deals that were unofficial until Saturday.
KZ Okpala of the Miami Heat joined his new franchise for the first time Saturday and expects to make his Summer League debut on Sunday.
Okpala watched Miami’s first four summer games on television and says he’s “just trying to stay ready.”
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