DALLAS _ About two hours before the Mavericks beat the Nuggets, 113-97, on Wednesday night, fans started streaming into the American Airlines Center, eager to watch Luka Doncic finish his warm-up on the court.
The scene felt eerie because the NBA and its owners, at the time, were mulling over the decision to play upcoming games without fans in arenas in response to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
A few hours later, the unprecedented uncertainty peaked: The NBA announced it will suspend the season "until further notice" following the conclusion of Wednesday night games because a Utah Jazz player _ reportedly Rudy Gobert _ had tested positive for the highly contagious virus.
Some fans in the arena appeared unaware of the news, participating along with the in-game entertainment as they watched Boban Marjanovic star with 31 points and 17 rebounds and Luka Doncic add 28 points, six rebounds and nine assists. Others appeared to be looking frequently at their phones, sharing the news with those seated around them.
"The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic," the league said in its statement.
The NBA's decision came likely on an expedited timeline _ soon after the Jazz-Thunder game in Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy Arena was postponed moments before its scheduled tipoff.
A member of Utah's medical staff reportedly ran onto the court, asking for the start to be pushed back. Players and teams returned to the locker room as in-arena personnel stalled with entertainment before calling the game off.
The news soon emerged that a Jazz player who was not in the arena had received a "preliminary positive result" for COVID-19, the Jazz said in a statement Wednesday night. The NBA's unprecedented decision to suspend the season _ with no indication given for a return _ followed just afterward.
The announcement came in the middle of the third quarter, as the Mavericks and Nuggets were locked in game that ended with Dallas' second win in three games against Denver this season.
"I got word during the third quarter. That certainly was good information to have for this game. We played guys longer than we probably would have otherwise. It's a game our guys really wanted to get," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "They fought to get it. I can't say enough about Boban and how he hung in there from start to finish."
As Marjanovic thrived in the paint during his second start of the season, filling in for Kristaps Porzingis (load management), word of the suspension started to reach to members of both franchises.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban appeared to be shocked by the news, his jaw dropping and leaning back in his seat, as he looked over a phone while seated next to Mavericks vice president of basketball communications Scott Tomlin.
Cuban then stood and told several people by the Mavericks' bench.
The Nuggets _ set to travel from Dallas to San Antonio after the game to play the Spurs on Friday, part of a three-game road trip _ scrambled to arrange possible travel plans to return to Denver instead.
The situation marks the first of its kind for the NBA.
When leagues grappled with cancellations after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the NBA was in the midst of its offseason.
The NBA has had two seasons shortened by labor lockouts: 50 games in 1998-99 and 66 games in 2011-12. But both lockouts occurred before the season, so the delays came at the beginning of each season.
The NBA in 73 years had never had an interrupted season before this one.
Teams had already been mentally preparing for the potential history of fan-free games. Denver coach Mike Malone had looked around the AAC during the Nuggets' shootaround Wednesday morning and tried to imagine playing a game in those quiet, cavernous conditions.
Carlisle had hoped it wouldn't come to that.
And it won't. Instead, the arenas will be completely empty during what would've been NBA game times come Thursday.
