Featured Columnist IVMay 27, 2024
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Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II is getting a scan to “evaluate the severity of his sprained neck,” according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Dave McMenamin.
Per that report, he is not currently in the NBA’s concussion protocol.
Karl-Anthony Towns inadvertently struck the neck and back of Lively’s head with his knee in the second quarter. Lively left the game—a 116-107 Mavericks win that gave them a 3-0 advantage in the Western Conference Finals—and didn’t return.
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Dereck Lively takes a hit to the head and has left to the locker room
Wishing him well 🙏 pic.twitter.com/s7K4VGuY2B
He posted six points, three rebounds, two assists and a block in nine minutes off the bench on Sunday night. He’s been excellent in this series, averaging 9.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and a block in 21 minutes per game.
His status for Tuesday’s Game 4 remains up in the air. If he’s unable to play, it would be a big loss for a Mavericks team on the brink of advancing to the NBA Finals.
