Eight people were shot Monday night just blocks from the Chesapeake Energy Arena as large crowds were leaving the playoff game between the LA Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"It's too early for us to tell (whether) this was gang-related or not," Oklahoma City Police Capt. Dexter Nelson said.

As crowds left the arena, Nelson said, "there was some horse-playing going on" and "it was a group of girls that got into a confrontation with a group of guys."

Two or three of the people that were injured were just innocent bystanders, said a CNN report.

Of the victims, one was in critical condition and seven suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the report said.

Some of the seven were admitted for hospitalization, it said.

In a statement Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder said team officials were talking with police to determine what happened and whether it could have been prevented.

"We are saddened to hear of the violence following the game last night. It put a damper on what was otherwise an exciting night for Oklahoma City and the Thunder," the statement said.

"Whenever you get about 8,000 people outside of a venue, we are going to be outnumbered," Nelson told CNN affiliate KOCO. "You can't have enough people down here for that."