Dereck Lively II Returns to Mavs Lineup, Details Broken Nose in 'Three Places'

Mavs rookie Dereck Lively II returned to competition on Wednesday, helping to lead the team to a victory over the Spurs.

DALLAS — After being sidelined for seven games due to a nasal fracture, Dereck Lively II returned to the Dallas Mavericks lineup, contributing to a 116-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night. 

While coming off the bench for the first time since his NBA debut, Lively finished with eight points, five rebounds, and four blocks in 17 minutes. He's happy to be back with his teammates, who he calls "family," and appreciated the energy the American Airlines Center crowd provided. 

“It felt amazing to be with my family again [and] to be able to bring the energy," Lively said. "To come out and be able to finish out the first two-thirds of the season. It was amazing.”

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Lively broke his nose during the team's thrilling 131-129 win against the Orlando Magic on January 29. In clutch time, Lively got hit in the face by Wendell Carter Jr. but finished out the game with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and one block after playing 41 minutes. It was later revealed that Lively had broken his nose. Lively noted he had to wear the mask while playing for the next "three or four weeks."

"I got hit pretty hard. I felt my nose throbbing the whole time," Lively said. "You have to go put the little thing up your nose and go hoop. We went out there, got a couple of stops, rebounds, and that one lob to finish the game."

The NBA had already announced Lively as one of the participants for the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend when the injury occurred. He mentioned it did cross his mind that he may not be able to participate in the event, but he remained diligent to ensure he could.

"That definitely crossed my mind. So I had to take my time and make sure I was very, very focused, taking care of my body, taking care of my mind, and making sure I'm getting back taking care of my nose."

Mavs coach Jason Kidd was encouraged by Lively's performance against the Spurs, describing his impact as "really good." Making a return to competition before the break will enable him to be ready for practice on Tuesday before ultimately facing the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. 

“I thought [Dereck] Lively was great. To be able to play the 17 minutes, he gave us that boost of energy," Kidd said. "Defensively, offensively, he was really, really good. So, it was good for him to get those 17 minutes under his belt before he goes up to Indiana to play in the ‘Baby All-Star Game’ and then come back and get ready for the second half [of the season].”

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The Mavs entered the break tied with the Boston Celtics for the NBA's longest active winning streak after winning six consecutive games. Lively sees a lot of encouraging results but acknowledged there is plenty of "clean up" as opposed to being content with winning recent games. 

“Just being able to show how good we can play," Lively said. "We still have a lot of mistakes going on, so we know that if we just clean up on those mistakes, clean up on a couple of intangible things, we can take what we’ve done so far and blow it out of proportion.”

The Mavs added a few new members to the team using recent trades, including the additions of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. After returning from injury, Lively received his first chance to play with them in the lineup. 

Gafford started ahead of Lively against the Spurs, averaging 15.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in three performances with the Mavs. Having another shot-blocking big with a high motor — similar to what Lively provides — makes the rookie's job "even easier" since it wears down the opposing team and provides cover in case of foul trouble when being aggressive, protecting the rim. 

“He’s been amazing. He’s bringing that energy [and] always talking. He’s a great character," Lively said of Gafford. "He has high energy [and a] high motor. [He’s] just going out there chasing every board and going after every shot. Having a person like that on the team just makes it even easier.”

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Lively highlighted Washington's defensive versatility, describing him as having exceeded his expectations for what he'd provide. Dallas has outscored opponents by a 51-point margin in the 88 minutes Washington has played, including holding offenses to shooting 68-182 (37.4 percent) overall and 17-71 (23.9 percent) on 3-pointers.

"Honestly, he's he's been a pest. He's been exactly what we needed, and he's honestly exceeded everything I thought," Lively said of Washington. "He's talking, always in help lanes, always trying to cover somebody's back, and that's what we need. So, having his energy and his effort out there is amazing."

Coming out of the break, Lively will look to build on the impressive play he's provided the Mavs during his rookie season. He's averaged 9.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 25.7 minutes per game, serving as the defensive anchor and premier play finisher on the receiving end of playmaking exchanges from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.