Before Tuesday's game, Jason Kidd revealed to the media that he is the Dallas Mavericks' rookie center. Derek Lively II He has been downgraded from questionable to out due to knee soreness and could miss the remainder of the regular season.
“He may be out for two weeks, but we'll see how he feels.” Kidd told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.. “We will cherish each day and hope he returns as soon as possible. ”
Dallas Mavericks rookie likely to miss remainder of regular season
Lively was injured during the second quarter of Dallas' last game against the Houston Rockets on Sunday. The 20-year-old was initially listed as questionable for the game against Golden State. However, he missed the morning shootaround and was sent off by mid-afternoon.
Dallas (45-30) dropped a 104-100 decision to Golden State last night. Luka DoncicBest effort to keep the Mavericks' winning streak alive. The loss ended the Mavericks' winning streak at seven games.
Doncic recorded 30 points, 12 rebounds and 11 double-doubles, marking his 20th triple-double of the season. With this performance, Doncic now has twice as many triple-doubles as he did last season. His previous career-high triple-double was 17 in 2019-20.
Kidd used the word “sprain” to describe Lively's injury, but Mavs general manager Nico Harrison said the diagnosis won't be confirmed until the team returns to Dallas today.
The regular season ends on April 14th. That means Lively will be sidelined for two weeks, at least until the start of the play-in tournament.
Dallas is in fifth place in the Western Conference. However, the Mavericks have the same record as New Orleans. They are two games behind the fourth-place Los Angeles Clippers. Additionally, the Mavs are two games behind Sacramento and Phoenix, who are seventh and eighth in the standings.
Dallas has the fifth-easiest remaining schedule, according to Tancasson, with an opponent winning percentage of .455. The Mavericks still have four tough games remaining, including their next game against the Warriors, and games against OKC, Houston and Miami.
The Mavs will play home games against Atlanta, Detroit and Charlotte. They begin a three-game homestand against Atlanta on Thursday. The Mavs are 22-15 at home this season.
This advantageous situation could allow Dallas to move up in the standings. The Mavs have been playing well lately, winning 11 of their last 13 games.
Meanwhile, Tankathon magazine calls Phoenix the toughest remaining schedule. Sacramento has the fourth-toughest schedule and the Clippers have the seventh-toughest.
What Lively's injury means for the Mavs
Lively played well and became an important rotation player for the Mavericks. The 7-1 center was great, scoring around the rim, cleaning the glass, and defending the rim for the Mavs. He had eight double-doubles and averaged 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 23.5 minutes.
Lively has started 42 games, but has been off the bench for nearly a month. The Mavericks are 35-20 in games Lively has played this season and 10-10 without the rookie.
Daniel Gafford He has started the past 12 games. Gafford has played well since coming from Dallas. However, the 25-year-old center has improved over the past month, averaging 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds (2.4 offensive rebounds) on nearly 80 percent shooting from the field. The Mavericks outscored opponents by 10.8 points while he was on the court, leading the team.
So who will fill in Lively's minutes? The Mavs have a lot of options.
It looks like Maxi Kleber will be the first to take the shot most nights. Dwy Powell will likely play a few minutes per game, just like he did against the Warriors, playing just over eight minutes.
PJ Washington He can also fill in at center in small-ball situations. Olivier Maxence Prosper and Markieff Morris This is an emergency option.
“It's always good to have depth at the center position,” Kidd said. “We talk about maxi, we also consider DP. PJs can go small [Washington] 5 o'clock if you need it.
It's good to have a player who can play center even if D-Live leaves, and we'll probably add some small players because we don't want to run minutes here with other players. ”
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