Kings beat Hawks amid protests outside Golden 1 Center

A massive crowd shut down nearby freeways and protesters locked arms surrounding entrances to Golden 1 Center on Thursday night to protest the police shooting of Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man who was shot in the backyard of his grandparents’ house in Sacramento on Sunday night.

Only a few hundred fans made it into the arena to see the Kings beat Atlanta 105-90 before police decided to not allow anyone else to enter.

(For more on the Clark story, see Page A7.)

Several of those who did get in were allowed to move down to the lower bowl, leaving the upper deck empty and giving the game, whose start was delayed by the protest, the look and feel of a high school playoff.