The [Portland Trail Blazers](http://www.blazersedge.com) are playing the Washington Wizards at the Moda Center tonight, but both teams had an unexpected opponent: water.
Fans and reporters in attendance found that a large amount of water found its way to the 100 level before the game, in some places over an inch deep, prompting Moda Center staff to scramble to contain it. A [video from Varun Shankar of The Washington Post](https://x.com/ByVarunShankar/status/1901779586071032169) shows one angle:
There were different reports about the source of the water, with some people saying it had a strong odor and others saying it was odorless, though this may have varied depending on the location.
While the most visible problem of standing water on the ground had been mostly cleaned up by the time fans arrived in force, that wasn’t the end of the water woes as Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups’ pregame availability needed to be moved to a different location due to the water issues.
Blazer’s Edge reached out to the Trail Blazers for more information about the cause of the spillage. Walt Scher, Director of Corporate Communications for the Trail Blazers, provided the following statement:
> “This afternoon a clean water pipe burst on the Moda Center 100-level resulting in flooding of the north concourse area. Moda Center staff quickly identified and isolated the source of water and worked to shut off the water source, clean up the flooding and prepare the concourse for tonight’s game.”
Scher also told us that access to bathroom and a number of concession stands nearby had been closed.
_Blazer’s Edge associate editor Conor Bergin contributed reporting in this story._