Houston's Toyota Center invited fans to stay late after Game 4 as floodwaters swirled

Houston's Toyota Center invited fans to stay late after Game 4 as floodwaters swirled

Severe rain and flooding has badly decimated the Houston area, with the nation’s fourth-largest city watching as two of its biggest interstates were rendered unusable due to the rising waters.

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Mindful of this, and the idea that over 18,000 NBA fans could be released into a rather dangerous commute home on Monday evening, workers at the Toyota Center urged fans not to leave the arena following the Houston Rockets’ season-saving 128-115 win.

The plea didn’t just extend to the punters in the seats. Rox center Dwight Howard also stayed behind as flash flood warnings dotted the local map:

From the Houston Chronicle:

"There's no need to try to push it," Howard said. "One of my friends just hit me up and said he's stuck on the highway now. I don't think it's smart for anybody to try to be out on this weather."

Howard waved to fans as he stayed on the court, but he was getting antsy for some entertainment as he waited.

"They're showing the Weather Channel right now," he said. "They need to put on a movie or something."

One local station estimated the remaining crowd to be around 200 fans. The Toyota Center did what it could to take care of its paid inhabitants:

A state of emergency has been declared in 37 Texas counties, and more rain is expected on Tuesday.

However, never fear:

The show must go on.

Game 5 of the Western Conference finals is scheduled for Wednesday evening in Oakland.

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Kelly Dwyer

is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!