Duke Basketball Pro Energizes Mavs Past Injury-Riddled Magic

Former Duke basketball center Dereck Lively II delivered another double-double off the bench.

Former Duke basketball center Dereck Lively II / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic boast two Duke basketball products apiece. But Magic centerpiece forward Paolo Banchero is out indefinitely with a torn right oblique, and his fellow frontcourt starter in Orlando, Wendell Carter Jr., played only nine minutes in Sunday night's 108-85 road loss to the Mavericks before exiting with a left foot injury.

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As for Dallas' pair of NBA Blue Devils, starting guard Kyrie Irving and backup big man Dereck Lively II, both integral weapons for last season's Western Conference champs, each played a sizeable role in the Mavericks improving to 4-2 this season via the win over the Magic (3-4).

Irving logged 28 minutes in the contest, tallying 17 points, two rebounds, three assists, two steals, and only one turnover while shooting 5-for-11 from the field, 1-for-2 from three, and 6-for-7 at the charity stripe.

And Lively, just an NBA sophomore and still a few months away from his 21st birthday, required only 20 minutes of action to record his second double-double for the 2024-25 Mavs. The 7-foot-1, 230-pounder, perhaps emerging as an early candidate for NBA Sixth Man of the Year, finished with 11 points, 11 boards, and one dime, shooting 5-for-7 from the field and 1-for-3 at the line.

Dallas hosts the Indiana Pacers (2-4) at 9:45 p.m. ET Monday.

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