CHICAGO – Thursday night’s game between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls was postponed nearly two hours after the scheduled tipoff, after an extended delay due to 50-degree temperatures in the city, heavy rain and the ice below the court at the United Center that left the playing surface too slick for play.

A makeup date was not immediately announced. This was to be the Heat’s final visit of the season to Chicago.

“It was just a waiting game until finally both sides decided that we needed to call it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said outside his team’s locker room, as the crowd was being informed.

The game, scheduled for an 8 p.m. Eastern start, featured the typical pregame warmup scheduling. But as players went through warmups, several players identified slick spots due to condensation.

The NBA issued a statement that read, “The National Basketball Association game scheduled for tonight between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls at United Center has been postponed due to moisture on the floor rendering the court unplayable. The date for the rescheduled game will be announced at a later time.”

“We always want to try to go,” Spoelstra said moments after the game officially was called. “The players were complaining about it on both sides, So staff, we all went out there and pretty much immediately we felt that it wasn’t playable.”

A decision initially was made to attempt to lower the temperature inside the arena, with players initially remaining on the court for extended pregame shooting.

Heat guard Norman Powell said it had become clear the delay had reached a point of no return.

“I mean, it’s crazy,” he said in the locker room afterward. “Honestly, this is the first time I’ve ever had to deal with that in 11 seasons, which is kind of crazy.

“Yeah, it’s kind of tough. I mean, after the first like 30 minutes, I think you start to kind of like, ‘All right, what we’re doing?’ Then another, you hear him say another 20 minutes and then it’s like, ‘All right,’ like, you really don’t want to play and it’s hard to get refocused.”

When it became clear that the delay would exceed an hour, the teams retreated to their locker rooms.

All the while, staff attempted to dry the court with towels and brooms, with the slick spots remaining.

“We have that in our practice facility,” Spoelstra said of condensation. “And when there’s condensation, it takes about 15 minutes for it to change. But this is a huge building. We weren’t optimistic that it would change.”

The Heat have dealt with similar situations, including an exhibition against the Orlando Magic in Tampa that was canceled.

“We had a training camp a few years ago in the Bahamas where the floor was really slick, and we had to adjust our practices,” Spoelstra said. “And then early on in my career we had a game in Tampa that we were going to play the Magic, and they canceled because of a condensation.”

Now a waiting game for the rescheduling. While both teams are off Friday, the Blackhawks play Friday in the building. Plus, a Friday game would have left the Heat with games on three successive days, with a Saturday game in Indiana and a Sunday game at Oklahoma City, on a four-game trip that now is a three-game trip.

Prior to the delay, with the injury-limited Bulls lacking somewhat in size, the Heat submitted a smaller lineup that got Tyler Herro back in the starting mix, after he played off the bench in Tuesday night’s return in Minnesota.

That had Spoelstra submitting an opening lineup of Herro, Bam Adebayo, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell, a group that entered 2-2 as a starting unit.

The move had Kel’el Ware back as a reserve for the first time in 13 games, since he played as a reserve in the Dec. 15 home loss to the Toronto Raptors.

Now that approach remains on hold.

Before the game, Spoelstra also addressed the dismissal of Miami Heat coach Mike McDaniel.

Said Spoelstra, ” I feel for Mike and his family. I’m a fan of his. I really enjoyed our interactions together. Just a really sharp, bright, and creative mind. I learned a lot from those interactions. It’s a tough business. So, it’s a tough day for him. But he’s a talent, so he’ll find his way back, somewhere with some organization. And I wish him the best.”