Kings Lock Arena Before Game vs. Mavericks Due to Protesters; Game on Time

The Sacramento Kings once again locked the Golden 1 Center ahead of Tuesday's game against the Dallas Mavericks because of protests in downtown Sacramento.

The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears provided a statement from the team about the decision:

Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard shared a photo from inside the arena:

It's the second time this season protesters have surrounded the Golden 1 Center in response to the fatal shooting of Stephon Clark by police.

NBC News offered another look at the scene outside the arena:

The Kings initially said the game would be delayed, but they provided an update to say they planned to tip off at 10 p.m. ET. Ultimately, the Kings announced the gates would remain closed and encouraged fans to return home with the promise of refunds for their tickets. The Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones and NBC Sports California's James Ham showed the sparse crowd inside Golden 1 Center:

Protests began last week in Sacramento. Demonstrators marched onto Interstate 5 and blocked traffic before making their way downtown and forming a human chain around Golden 1 Center prior to the Kings' 105-90 win over the Atlanta Hawks on March 22.

In a statement, the Kings announced they locked the arena down "due to law enforcement being unable to ensure ticketed fans could safely enter." Kings co-owner Vivek Ranadive addressed the situation after the Hawks game:

Police fired 20 shots at Clark on March 18 in his grandmother's backyard, and he was pronounced dead at the scene after being hit multiple times. Officers believed Clark was in possession of a firearm when they shot him, but investigators only found a cellphone near his body.