Kyrie Irving left a young fan stunned when he unintentionally sent a pass toward the courtside seats against Boston on Saturday night.
Irving and the Mavs trailed, 46-35, with four-and-a-half minutes left in the second quarter of the NBA Finals rematch.
After dribbling out of the corner, Irving threw a cross-court pass but missed his supposed target, teammate Jaden Hardy. Boston’s Jaylen Brown also attempted to intercept the pass before leaving it to float off bounds.
As a result, the ball soared toward a young fan wearing Mavericks gear and seated right next to the Dallas bench. The boy appeared to be looking away during the play and got clocked by the ball from Irving’s hands.
Mavericks staff quickly tended to the fan, who did not appear too shaken by the blow. His nose also appeared to be bleeding from the accident.
The fan nodded his head as Dallas’ PJ Washington, Brown, and Celtics teammate Derrick White all checked on him.
Kyrie Irving accidentally hit a young fan with a pass during the Mavericks-Celtics showdown
Irving led the Dallas Mavericks in scoring with 22 points, five assists and four rebounds
Irving also approached the young man as fans applauded the young man before play continued.
Adding to the early mishap, the young fan saw his team lose, 122-107, to the reigning NBA champions.
Irving led the Mavericks in scoring with 22, parlayed with his five assists and four rebounds. On the other hand, Jayson Tatum led Boston to victory with 24 points, while White and Brown had 23 and 22, respectively.
Fellow Boston starters Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday also hit double digits with 18 and 17 points.
The Celtics are 32-14 nearly halfway through the season as they defend their title. The loss moved the Mavericks to a 24-22 record. Boston sits second in the Eastern Conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Mavericks are ninth in the west.
