Dallas Mavericks star rookie Dereck Lively II had to be escorted to the locker room after taking a knee to the back of the head during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
Less than four minutes into the second quarter, Lively went up to block a floater from Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley Jr. But the 20-year-old landed awkwardly and lost his footing, causing him to stumble directly into the knee of Karl-Anthony Towns , who was running to grab a rebound.
Lively's head snapped forward after coming into contact with Towns' knee, and he looked to be in considerable pain while lying on the floor for several moments. The Duke-product was eventually helped up by Mavericks big man Markieff Morris and carried off the court.
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As Lively made his way down the tunnel towards the locker room, he possessed a noticeable limp while holding his hand over the back of his head. Those in attendance at American Airlines Center provided him with a standing ovation following the scary incident.
According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon , Lively was ruled questionable to return at the start of the second half with a neck sprain. Later in the third quarter, the Mavericks officially ruled him out for the remainder of the game. Dwight Powell immediately slotted in as the backup big man for Dallas.
Despite losing Lively, the Mavericks were able to hold on for the win in Game 3, defeating the Timberwolves 116-107 to move one victory away from an NBA Finals berth.
The Mavericks can hardly afford to lose Lively, who's been integral in the team's playoff run. Entering play Sunday, the All-Rookie Second Team selection averaged 8.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 blocks over 14 playoff games off the bench for Dallas. Against the Timberwolves in the conference finals series, he had yet to miss a shot before exiting Game 3, shooting a perfect 13-of-13 from the field.
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Lively's dominant play this season is made even more impressive considering the tremendous obstacles he's had to overcome . His mother, Kathy Drysdale, passed away on April 12 at 53 years old following a 10-year bout with Hodgkins Lymphoma. His father, meanwhile, died of a drug overdose in 2012.
“[It's] extremely hard to have such a taxing thing happen in your life," he told reporters before Sunday's game. "A part of me left me. I’m not able to be myself because I can’t have my mom with me or my dad with me but it makes me want to fight that much harder. I’m able to have both my mom and my dad watching over me.”
After amassing 12 points and 15 rebounds in the Mavericks' thrilling 117-116 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference semi-finals, Lively dedicated the breakout performance to his mother. Taking to Instagram on the heels of the contest, he wrote: "Love you momma, miss you momma. Just sit back [and] watch."
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