The Moda Center, formerly known as the Rose Garden, is the primary indoor sports arena in downtown Portland, Oregon that opened its doors in 1995. The main tenants are the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team of the NBA, the only NBA team in the Pacific Northwest. On Saturday, January 26, the Trail Blazers hosted their division rivals the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Halfway through the 82-game season, the Trail Blazers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Their current 33-11 record is third best in the league, a major improvement from a season ago where they missed the playoffs for a third-straight year. They have also re-energized the fan base, with an estimated sellout of 20,006 “Blazermanics” at the game that evening.

Blazers star LaMarcus Aldridge (in white) takes a shot over Kevin Love (42, right); both considered by national pundits to be the best power-forwards in the NBA. Love was recently named a starter in the upcoming NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans through fan voting. Aldridge did not receive enough fan votes to be named a starter, however he will still attend as a reserve for his fourth All-Star appearance.

Amanda Hawkins, 25, of Lake Oswego, Oregon concentrates on the action during the game as the home team is currently losing. She has been going to Blazers games since she was a child, and even graduated high school with Timberwolves star and Oregon native Kevin Love. “He was always busy with basketball, so he rarely ever came to class,” she recalls. “None of the teachers really liked him anyway.”

Fans rejoice as the Trail Blazers bounced back in the fourth quarter and defeated the Timberwolves 115-104 led by Aldridge’s 21 points and six rebounds. It was a tough night for Love as he scored 13 points in the losing effort. One of the happy fans in attendance was Blazers owner Paul Allen. Not only have the Blazers been successful this season, Allen also owns the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL who are playing in Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014.