Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers were forced to evacuate the Moda Center after a shooting occurred near the arena before Friday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Portland’s KOIN News reported.
The building was “briefly” cordoned off in the afternoon following the shooting. Police told KOIN News the blockade happened after “an argument broke out between a man and a woman in a porta-potty near the ticket office”.
The man reportedly locked himself in the toilet door after firing the gun, while the woman fled the scene unharmed. Police eventually took the man into custody. The Lakers, who were in the building at the time of the shooting, “were escorted to a secure area,” according to local police.
The situation may have disrupted the team’s regular schedule, but it didn’t stop the team from beating the Trail Blazers 107-95 later that night. LeBron James scored 35 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds for the Lakers, and Anthony Davis also contributed 16 points and 14 rebounds. In total, five different Lakers players scored in double figures.
With this victory, the Lakers improved to 7-6 this season and 3-0 in the NBA new season championship. Los Angeles currently leads Western Conference Group A in the tournament with one game remaining in the group stage. Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz.
Point spread is used as a tiebreaker for the tournament standings, and the Lakers currently have the best point differential in the entire conference at +42.
The fact that Los Angeles performed so well in the in-season tournament isn’t entirely a coincidence. After the team’s win in Portland, Lakers forward LeBron James admitted the team is motivated to perform well in the tournament.
It’s great that the Lakers performed so well in the in-season tournament, and the league is certainly glad they took it so seriously, although they do need to find a way to do the same in non-tournament games.
The Lakers below are sitting at .500 in non-tournament games so far this season, and that simply isn’t getting the job done in the extremely competitive Western Conference. When the game finally ends, the Lakers need to find another motivating factor, and the sooner the better.