The Los Angeles Lakers were forced to evacuate from Moda Center on Friday afternoon before their game against the Portland Trail Blazers after a shot was fired near the ticket office. The Portland Police Bureau informed KOIN News that the building was put in a “brief lockdown” just past noon.
Authorities revealed that “a man and woman got into an altercation inside a porta potty near the ticket office.” The man barricaded himself inside the toilet after firing the shot, which appears to have completely missed the woman, who was unharmed. She reportedly ran away from the scene and there is no word yet on her whereabouts.
The man, however, was taken into custody, after the police got him to exit the toilet. He has been booked for unlawful use of a weapon, discharging a firearm in the city, and an existing warrant from Washington County.
The Lakers were in the building at the time of the shooting and were “escorted to a safe area.” The lockdown was lifted not too long after, following which the players were presumably allowed to get back inside. We can all be quite thankful that no one ended up being harmed in this incident.
The Lakers Got A Big Win Over The Trail Blazers
The Lakers didn’t seem to be all that affected by the incident once the action commenced. They got off to a fast start and while the Trail Blazers made it a bit close in the second half, L.A. would pull away to win 107-95. They never trailed at any point in the contest and improved to 7-6 on the season with this triumph.
LeBron James led the way with 35 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals. He certainly wasn’t fazed at all by what had transpired earlier and continued to play at a high level, as he has been doing all season. With this win, the Lakers are also now a league-best 3-0 in the In-Season Tournament and seem quite motivated to win it.
LeBron James Is Playing “Free” Basketball In His 21st Season
Only six players have managed to play 21 seasons in the NBA and the five before LeBron were playing nowhere near the level he is at, at the moment. James is averaging 25.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 57.2% from the field and 39.7% from beyond the arc this season.
The 38-year-old continues to defy expectations and LeBron says he is just playing free basketball in his 21st season.
“Just going up there and just playing free,” said James. “There isn’t anything that I cannot do that I did in my 20s on the basketball floor. I’m just trying to be the ultimate triple-threat, scoring in the low-post, in the mid-range, behind the three-point line. I’ve always had that ability to rebound and find my teammates.”
He has been ever so effective from everywhere on the court this season and it’s remarkable just how efficient he has been. I always say no matter whether you’re a fan of him or not, appreciate the greatness that you see from him night in and night out. I am almost certain we are never going to see anything like him in our lifetime again.
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