Spurs/Timberwolves game in Mexico cancelled due to smoke, will be made up in Minnesota

Dec. 5 (UPI) -- An NBA game that was supposed to be played in Mexico City on Wednesday night between the San Antonio Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves was cancelled after there was a fire and smoke filled the arena.

The NBA said that a generator malfunction caused the building to fill with smoke and forced the evacuation of everyone inside.

The game would have been the first NBA contest south of the border since 1997. It will now be replayed at a later date in Minneapolis, Minn.

Spurs announcer Sean Elliott at first thought the smoke had to do with the pregame introductions, but that was clearly not the case.

“It was really smoky,” he said. “Just, smoke all over the place.”

Argentinian Spurs guard Manu Ginobili tweeted his disappointment in Spanish. “We are already at the airport ready to return to S.A. A pity that we could not have played,” he wrote. “We apologize to the Mexican fans.”

The NBA released the following statement Wednesday night:

"The National Basketball Association game scheduled for tonight between the San Antonio Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves has been postponed due to a generator malfunction which produced smoke inside Mexico City Arena. The date for the rescheduled game, which will be played at Target Center in Minneapolis, will be announced at a later time."

The fire wasn’t the only issue for the Spurs, as they also had a little trouble getting home:

[San Antonio Spurs]