As the Dallas Mavericks tried to defeat the Miami Heat on Thursday night, their rookie centre, Dereck Lively, was thought to have suffered a little setback.
The centre played 23 minutes off the bench, scoring four points and collecting two rebounds. He had a quiet night as the Mavericks beat the Heat by six points.
Lively is not anticipated to suit up against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night. However, the Mavericks stated that his eventual absence is due to “personal reasons.” While he may have averted an injury-related setback, Lively will not be on the field with his teammates to face the Pistons this week.
Dallas could face a gritty young Pistons club missing several important players. In addition to Lively, the Mavericks may be missing Luka Doncic for the evening. Although Doncic has been healthy and eligible to play, a right elbow strain has the Mavericks considering sitting him for the night, making his status uncertain.
Doncic does not miss many games, but his absence this season has left the Mavericks 3-5.
Lively may not be as valuable as Doncic at this point in his career, but the young big man has been an excellent addition to the Mavericks since being selected in the 2023 NBA Draft.
The youngster has started 42 of 45 games he has played in. Lively averaged 25 minutes on the floor and made 74 percent of his field goals, scoring nine points a game. Lively averages seven rebounds per game. He is also averaging 1.4 blocks this season.
The former five-star prospect from Philadelphia attended Duke for one year, from 2022 to 2023. After starring in his role at the NCAA level, Lively took a risk on the big leagues. He was picked 12th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Lively made an immediate impact in Dallas, playing 30 minutes off the bench in his NBA debut. He thereafter became a full-time starter.
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