Dallas Mavs' Dereck Lively II 'Doing Better' After Scary Fall Against Los Angeles Lakers

Mavs rookie Dereck Lively fell hard to the floor against the Lakers and was ruled out for the Mavs' matchup against the Clippers with a back injury.

LOS ANGELES — During the Dallas Mavericks' victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, rookie center Dereck Lively II crashed to the floor hard after a failed alley-oop exchange with Luka Doncic in the third quarter. 

Lively stayed on the floor for quite some time before needing to be helped off the court. He was later ruled out for the remainder of the game with what was described as a lower back contusion despite having difficulty putting weight on his left leg. 

On the Mavs' first submitted injury report before Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Lively was already ruled out along with Maxi Kleber, who continues to recover from a dislocated small right toe. 

At the Mavs' morning shootaround at Saint Monica Catholic School, Lively was shooting jump shots during the portion open to the media. Later, he participated in a weight room workout at Crypto.com Arena before the matchup against the Clippers.

“He’s doing better," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said of Lively before Saturday's game, "He did some shooting, did some running, so we’ll see how he’s feeling tomorrow and then see how he feels on Monday.”

Dereck Lively II getting shots up at Dallas Mavericks shootaround. He’s already been ruled out against the LA Clippers with a lower back contusion. pic.twitter.com/wdxaJJkAIC

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) November 25, 2023

The Mavs started Richaun Holmes in Lively's place against the Clippers, marking his first time in the starting five all season. He was already slotted in as the first center off the bench in the win over the Lakers before Lively's injury but took on an even greater role. 

Holmes recorded four points, 10 rebounds, and one block in a season-high 23 minutes against the Lakers. It marked the first time Holmes even reached the 20-minute threshold in a single game since being traded to Dallas. 

Lively has averaged 8.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 14 games. Entering Saturday's game, the Mavs had only played one game without their rookie center in the lineup,  

After returning to Dallas after a two-game road trip in Los Angeles on Sunday, the Mavs will have an off day and won't return to game action until Tuesday, when they face the Houston Rockets to start a three-game homestand.