MINNEAPOLIS – The Mavericks won’t know for sure about the availability of Dereck Lively II until close to gametime on Thursday, but what is certain is that they dodged a bullet.
When the back of Lively’s head collided sharply with Karl-Anthony Towns’ knee, the gasp inside American Airlines Center spoke volumes.
It looked bad. Could have been a concussion. Could have been a serious neck or head injury.
Thankfully for Lively, it appears to have been none of the above.
A neck sprain doesn’t sound like much fun, either. But it’s preferable to the other possibilities.
Lively is officially listed as questionable for Game 5 on Thursday night at Target Center.
All you have to do is look at Game 4 to realize how important the 20-year-old rookie has become in a short amount of time.
The Mavericks got beat 46-36 in points in the paint as Lively sat on the bench in street clothes. When he missed the majority of Game 3, they also lost the points in the paint battle after winning Games 1 and 2 by 24 and 12, respectively.
So, suffice it to say that Lively was missed. And if he can return, it would certainly help the Mavericks’ cause Thursday.
However, the flip side of Lively returning is that, had the Mavericks been able to close out the sweep Tuesday, the 7-1 center would have had 10 days to allow his head and neck to recover.
Even if the Mavericks finish off the Wolves on Thursday, that time will be cut down to a week.
But that’s true of all the Mavericks. The longer this series goes, the more wear and tear on everybody’s body.
Here’s a few other things to look for in Game 5:
- All four games have in this series come down to the fourth-quarter execution each team can muster. On Tuesday, the Mavericks were 3-of-12 from three-point range in the fourth quarter. The Wolves were 3-of-5. Efficiency is everything down the stretch. There’s also something to be said for not taking more than half of your fourth-quarter shots from distance. The Mavericks had 23 shots in the fourth.
- Luka Dončić took blame for not bringing the energy in Game 4, but it’s hard to put anything on him in this series. Despite fighting a right knee sprain and a bum left ankle (and a balky back), Dončić has had two triple-doubles in the series, including Game 4 when he had 28-15-10. In fact, he’s had triple-doubles in five of the last seven games, going back to when the Mavericks took charge against Oklahoma City.
- The Mavericks remain in a commanding position in this series. No team has ever come back to advance after trailing 3-0. And when that team is the one that has had home-court advantage, they are 0-20. Of those, 15 got swept, two were done in five games, two in six games and one, the Boston Celtics last season, forced Game 7 against the Miami Heat.
- The return of Maxi Kleber throws a new wrinkle into what the Wolves must prepare for. They were coming to grips with the lob threats that Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford present. But with Kleber, it’s more of a stretch-five attack for the Mavericks on the offensive end. And if Lively returns in Game 5, it will give coach Jason Kidd more options.
- Have the subtle words of Minnesota coach Chris Finch early in the series worked? He talked after Game 1 about the Mavericks packing the paint, perhaps stretching the bounds of the rulebook. In Game 4, the Mavericks got called for two illegal defense warnings. Submitting perceived wrongs to the NBA office is routine in the playoffs in between games.
- If Las Vegas knows what it is doing (and it usually does), the Mavericks are facing long odds. The Wolves are favored by 4½ points. The over/under is 209.5 points.
MAVERICKS (3-1) at MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (1-3)
When: 7:30 p.m., Thursday.
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis.
TV: TNT
Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @ESefko
Share and comment