Another snowstorm stands Wizards; team expected to spend extra night in Charlotte

Wizards stranded again after 2nd snowstorm

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Eventually the Washington Wizards will make it home.

Tuesday night? No such luck.

The Wizards were told before their game against Charlotte that it was unlikely they’d be able to fly into either Washington-area airport after the game because of the second major snowstorm to hit that area in five days.

It meant another night scrambling to find a hotel and more uncertainty for a team that hasn’t been home since it left for what it thought was a brief road trip on Feb. 2.

After losing in New York a night later, the Wizards traveled to Orlando and upset the Magic on Friday night. They were supposed to fly home right after the game and face Atlanta on Saturday, but the airports in Washington were closed.

The Hawks game was eventually postponed and the Wizards decided to stay in Orlando. Players ended up going to the mall to buy extra clothes and the team stayed there until its flight to Charlotte on Monday.

“It’s very rare you have a situation where you get to stay as long (in one spot) — even at home,” coach Flip Saunders joked before Tuesday’s game.

Now they’re about to make Charlotte home for at least an extra night. But at least the latest storm won’t affect any games.

Washington’s matchup with the Bobcats was its final game before the All-Star break. Many players weren’t expected to take the late-night Tuesday flight back home anyway. Instead, they were staying in Charlotte and then flying home or to vacations spots.

“Some guys are flying out of here (Wednesday),” Saunders said. “Some guys are going back to D.C. We’ll just have to play it by ear.”

And be flexible, again.