Full refunds for tickets purchased for the shortened NBA preseason game at Valley View Casino Center will be available after noon Monday from the point of sale, the Los Angeles Lakers announced.
The Lakers were leading the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, 85-70, with two minutes, 16 seconds left in the third quarter Saturday night when the referees stopped the game due to moisture on the floor.
“The officials said they weren’t comfortable with the slippage of players,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said. “They felt there was a possibility of players getting hurt.”
Scott said he told Luke Walton, Golden State’s interim head coach, “I don’t mind calling this game and he said, ‘I’m in agreement.”‘
Walton told CSNBayArea.com, the website of the regional cable channel that carries the Warriors games, that ending the game early “was the right move.”
Arena spokesman Rick Schloss did not criticize the stoppage, calling player safety the top priority. Schloss cited high humidity as the reason for the wet spots.
Some in the crowd announced at 14,100 chanted “refund” after it was announced the game was ended prematurely.
Play had been temporarily stopped in the first half due to wet spots on the court.
When asked if he would be comfortable again playing at the Valley View Casino Center, Scott responded, “That ain’t up to me.”
The Lakers had no comment at this time about whether the shortened game would affect the chances of the Lakers playing again at Valley View Casino Center.
Scott was also asked what he would tell the fans who were disappointed by its early end.
“Sorry,” Scott said. “We’re trying to do what’s in the best interest of our players as well as the Golden State Warrior players. We don’t want anybody getting hurt especially at this time of the season when you can have a significant injury that’s going to be playing major minutes for you.
“I think we all wanted to finish the game, but to us, at this particular time, it was not worth the risk.”
—City News Service