Dallas Mavericks center Derek Lively II left Sunday's playoff game against the Timberwolves after being inadvertently kneed in the back of the head by Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns.
The incident occurred in the second quarter with Dallas leading 43-33. Lively fell backward toward the court after contesting a missed jump shot by Mike Conley. As he fell to the court, the back of his head struck Towns' right knee as Towns jumped to pick up the rebound.
Lively's head shot forward and he remained on the court for a few moments. He was eventually able to get up and, with the help of his teammates, leave the court. He was visibly unsteady and headed straight for the locker room.
of The Mavericks listed him as questionable. Lively left the game at halftime with a neck sprain and was sidelined for the third quarter. In addition to the immediate concerns about his health, missing Lively for Sunday and beyond would be a major blow to the Mavericks.
Lively's contributions to Dallas' playoff run
The 12th pick in the 2023 draft out of Duke, Lively shocked the Mavericks as a key player in their run to the Western Conference finals. A selection to the All-Rookie Team, Lively averaged 8.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 blocks off the bench in 14 playoff games prior to Sunday.
His defense and post presence were immense as Dallas beat the Los Angeles Clippers and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the postseason, posting 11 points, 15 rebounds and a plus-minus of 26 in the Mavericks' Game 6 win over the Thunder in the second round. He didn't miss a field goal in his two-plus games against Minnesota, shooting 13-for-13 from the field.
His +108 postseason plus-minus is the second-best by a rookie since 1997, according to TNT. The 7-foot-1 center's presence will be key against a Timberwolves team that features three big men in Towns, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid.
Dallas won Games 1 and 2 in Minnesota and entered Game 3 trailing 2-0 with a chance to seal the series win at home.
