The reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks began their preseason with a road trip to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday evening. For the most part, it was an unremarkable exhibition game, with high-profile players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Dillon Brooks sitting out, but things heated up in the second half at FedEx Forum.
The arena’s fire alarm went off, prompting players to leave the field and fans to flee to the concourse.
Shortly after, a Grizzlies spokeswoman stated that it was a false alarm, followed by formal confirmation from the team that the issue was an accidentally tripped sprinkler.
With a national television broadcast on TNT, the incident gained even more attention, and the announcing crew delivered an update while the alarm was still going off in Memphis.
Fortunately, the alert does not appear to have signaled anything harmful, and all indications point to discomfort rather than anything more serious. Even yet, there was serious doubt about whether the game would continue, and given the exhibition character of the proceedings, the degree of urgency would not be as strong as it would be in a game that matters in the standings.
