LAS VEGAS -- An earthquake that struck in Southern California forced the postponement of the late games in the Las Vegas Summer League on Friday night, including the NBA debuts for No. 1 pick Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans and No. 3 pick RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres played through the earthquake during their game at Dodger Stadium, though a WNBA game in Las Vegas also was stopped.
Estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey say a 7.1 magnitude quake hit in Southern California at 8:19 p.m. PT. The quake had been downgraded to 6.9 before seismologists restored the original magnitude. The quake was felt all the way in Las Vegas during the fourth quarter of the Pelicans-Knicks game inside the Thomas & Mack Center.
The overhead scoreboard in the arena was swaying, and officials elected to stop the game and have the teams leave the floor while gauging if it was safe to continue. After about a 15-minute delay, the decision was made to suspend the game with the Pelicans leading 80-74. The NBA announced later Friday that the game would not be resumed. The league also canceled the game involving the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets, which was to have been played after the Knicks-Pelicans.
"I was bringing the ball up, it felt like someone was pushing my hip, like I kind of leaned this way, and I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, what is going on?'" New Orleans guard Frank Jackson said. "And then I just saw everything shaking."
Said New Orleans' Christian Wood, who played collegiately at UNLV: "I've been a part of earthquakes, but nothing while playing basketball. It was cool, but I don't want to be a part of it anymore."
A game involving the Orlando Magic and the San Antonio Spurs inside the smaller Cox Pavilion, which is attached to the Thomas & Mack Center, initially continued without delay because that gym lacks an overhead scoreboard. The league ultimately decided to cancel that game after the third period, however, for "precautionary reasons."
"Safety comes first, second, third," NBA summer league executive director Warren LeGarie said.
Friday night's quake was centered 11 miles from Ridgecrest, California, a Mojave Desert town about 150 miles (240 kilometers) from Los Angeles. The same area was jolted by a 6.4 quake a day earlier.
Friday's quake was felt in downtown Los Angeles as a rolling motion that seemed to last at least a half-minute. It hit Dodger Stadium in the fourth inning when Dodgers second baseman Enrique Hernandez was batting. It didn't appear to affect him or Padres pitcher Eric Lauer, and the game continued without disruption.
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw told reporters afterward that he didn't feel the quake.
"Everybody's telling me about it," he said. "I was underneath in the tunnel, and the crowd's kind of going crazy, but I had no idea what was going on until somebody told me."
However, it was obvious to viewers of the SportsNet LA broadcast when the TV picture began bouncing up and down.
There was no announcement by the stadium's public address announcer. Some fans in the upper decks appeared to leave their seats and move to a concourse at the top of the stadium. The press box lurched for about 20 seconds.
Also in the Las Vegas area, a WNBA game between the Mystics and Aces at the Mandalay Bay Resort was suspended at halftime because of the quake.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.