Dereck Lively's injury casts doubt over Mavericks' Western Conference Finals hopes
Rookie center suffers blow to head in Game 3
The Dallas Mavericks' hopes of reaching the NBA Finals have been dealt a major blow after star rookie Dereck Lively II was forced to leave Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals with a head injury.
Lively, who has been a key player for the Mavericks in their run to the Western Conference Finals, was helped off the court in the second quarter after being inadvertently struck in the head by Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Mavericks went on to win the game 116-107, but the loss of Lively is a major concern for head coach Jason Kidd.
"He's our anchor on defense and he's been playing so well for us all season," Kidd said. "We're just going to have to wait and see how he is and hope for the best."
Lively is averaging 8.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in the playoffs.
The Mavericks are now facing an uphill battle to reach the NBA Finals. They trail the Timberwolves 3-0 in the series and will need to win four straight games to advance.
Game 4 of the series is scheduled for Tuesday night in Dallas.
Comments