Dallas Mavs' Dereck Lively II, Kyrie Irving Among Key Inactives vs. Denver Nuggets
DENVER — Dereck Lively II became the latest addition to the Dallas Mavericks' lengthy injury report after suffering a left ankle sprain midway through the first quarter of Saturday's 131-120 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
"It's just a sprained ankle," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said of Lively. "X-rays were negative, so just a sprained ankle."
Lively has already been ruled out for Monday's matchup against the Denver Nuggets while being joined by Kyrie Irving (right heel contusion), Josh Green (right elbow sprain), and Maxi Keber (right small toe dislocation) as inactive players.
Richaun Holmes was sidelined against the Blazers due to illness, but he is questionable to play against the Nuggets. While Dwight Powell remains an option at the center position, the Mavs are seeing depleted depth at the position, with Lively and Kleber being sidelined due to injuries for the time being.
Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II during the 2023-24 NBA season.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Mavs have deployed Markieff Morris more lately, whether at power forward to have size against prominent opponents or at center for small ball combinations. Against the Blazers, Morris proved vital as a short roll option when Luka Doncic was blitzed in ball screen coverage while also being a spacing threat in five-out looks.
"I think he's a pro, and we've been playing him some minutes here of late," Kidd said. "Being able to stretch the defense also gives us some physicality, some toughness, knows how to play. You saw that with the double teams being able to shoot the mid-range and then also being able to extend the 3-point line being able to shoot.
"He showed that he could pass; he threw a nice pass to Derrick Jones Jr. there for a lob," Kidd explained. "There's a lot of trust. He's always been prepared, and that's what you can ask for when you're that twelve, thirteen, fourteenth man on the team."
The Mavs recently regained Grant Williams and Jones in the lineup, adding more depth on the wing. The team has yet to regain full strength, with new injuries added over the past few weeks without others returning to the lineup.
