Hawks’ exhibition at Heat rescheduled because of Hurricane Milton

This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 12:15 p.m. EDT and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Milton in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (NOAA via AP)

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 12:15 p.m. EDT and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Milton in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (NOAA via AP)

The NBA announced Tuesday that the Hawks exhibition matchup set to take place in Miami will be rescheduled. The team will now play the Heat on Oct. 16 at the Kaseya Center.

With Hurricane Milton on path to hit Florida this week, questions arose about the feasibility of the game taking place. The hurricane quickly progressed from a Category 2 to a Category 5 on Monday with winds reaching sustained speeds of 180 mph with gusts of 200-plus mph, according to local meteorologists.

Though, Hurricane Milton since has been downgraded to a Category 4, the National Hurricane Center has kept storm surge and hurricane warnings in place for several areas. Per the state of Florida, roughly 51 counties in Florida were under a state of emergency as of Tuesday afternoon, with millions of people facing the need for evacuation.

The hurricane’s eye is projected to make landfall in the Tampa area Wednesday evening before moving east-northeast across central Florida on Thursday.

Tipoff for next the Oct. 16 exhibition game is set for 7:30 p.m.