The Dallas Mavericks badly missed Dereck Lively II during their loss in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday, but he may be emerging out of the tunnel soon enough.
On Wednesday, one day before their Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas shared a notable status update on the rookie big Lively. On their official injury report for the game, the Mavericks have upgraded Lively to “questionable.”
Dereck Lively II has been upgraded to questionable for Game 5. pic.twitter.com/U3PtxPCmlk
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) May 29, 2024
That is big news for Lively, who was ruled out on Dallas’ corresponding injury report over 24 hours before Game 4. He was injured in Game 3 of the series when he took a nasty knee to the back of the head from Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns (video here).
Lively was diagnosed with a neck sprain but did manage to avoid being placed in concussion protocol. He was also feeling well enough to sit on the Mavericks bench for the entirety of Game 4 and cheer on his team.
The 20-year-old Lively has been a big-impact player for Dallas as a rookie this season. Averaging 8.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game on the year overall, the seven-footer is an athletic dunk threat who is also a long and nimble shot-blocker. In rotating shifts with Mavs starting center Daniel Gafford, Lively helps ensure that Dallas can always dominate the paint.
Without Lively in Game 4, the Mavs lost 105-100 as the rusty Maxi Kleber and the low-floor Dwight Powell struggled to fill the backup center minutes. But with Lively seemingly trending towards a Game 5 return, Dallas may be in good position to close out the series, which is currently 3-1 in their favor.
