NEW YORK -- The highly anticipated regular-season opener Thursday between the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks, which also was to be the first NBA regular-season game at the new $1 billion Barclays Center, has been postponed because of the devastation caused by Sandy, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Wednesday.

"Mayor Bloomberg informed us this afternoon that after further analysis of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy that he felt it was in the best interests of the city of New York, the teams and our fans that we postpone the Knicks-Nets game scheduled for Thursday night," NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with all those affected by this devastating storm."

A makeup date will be announced at a later time, the NBA said.

"The bottom line is, there just isn't a lot of mass transit and the police have other things to do," said Bloomberg, who noted that he recommended to the NBA that the league postpone the game.

Nets and Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark said all tickets for the Nets-Knicks game will be honored for the game when it is rescheduled.

"Our hearts go out to everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy," Yormark said in a statement. "We know these are trying times for so many of you and our thoughts are with you."

The NBA had announced Tuesday the game would take place as scheduled. But shutdowns of mass transit posed significant problems for fans trying to attend the game.