NEW YORK — Late in the fourth quarter Friday night, the unexpected happened inside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
And it wasn’t just a late-game run by the young Nets, who seemed completely overmatched earlier, trailing the star-studded Cavs by a game-high 25 at one point in the second half.
At the 5:02 mark, during a brief stoppage in play following a replay review, with the Nets mounting a furious comeback, an unbecoming fan — clad in a bright purple hoodie, with a cell phone in his hand to capture a photo or video — ran onto the court and approached Cavs star Donovan Mitchell before referee Curtis Blair intervened and the fan was dragged from the arena by four security members.
Players were stunned. Especially Mitchell.
“Oh (expletive),” Mitchell said when asked following the game what was going through his head in that moment. "I took a few steps back and then I repositioned my feet and I was ready to handle whatever what was necessary.
“The kid wanted a selfie. I know he’s probably doing some jail time, but when he gets out, he’s probably got a great selfie. Sorry, I don’t think that’s a joke.”
No. It wasn’t a joke. It was a strange, unacceptable and terrifying situation that could have had a much worse result.
“It was tough because we had just given up the lead, so my mind was there and then I saw somebody running, so I didn’t really have time to process it all,” Mitchell said. “Glad they handled it. Security handled it. I was pretty p----- off we blew the lead. It was just like, ‘Alright it happened.’ Move on.”
Cavaliers Nets Basketball
Referee Curtis Blair, left, attempts to stop a fan who ran on the court towards Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, at Barclays Center in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)AP
At the time, the reeling Cavs were leading by just six points, and an out-of-bounds call had been overturned in Cleveland’s favor.
“At first, I was confused, and I saw him running towards Don and took a step towards him,” Allen said, recalling the strange incident. “But we have great security in the Barclays Center. Shout out to them. They took care of it. When he left the court, his feet didn’t touch the ground. They carried him out of the building.”
“I didn’t see what happened,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson added. “It was kind of like, strange. You never see that in an NBA game. I think you see it in European soccer. Bizarre. Bizarre.”
Following the moment, the Cavs — and Mitchell — kept their composure and held off Brooklyn’s rally, earning the first win of 2025-26.
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