DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks centre Dereck Lively II left Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against Minnesota on Sunday night after getting hit in the back of the head by a knee from Karl-Anthony Towns.
The rookie from Duke stayed on the court holding his head after the accidental contact and was down for several minutes before appearing dazed as he was helped off the court and taken to the locker room.
Lively fell as Mike Conley was driving for a missed shot, and Towns was pursuing an offensive rebound when his knee hit Lively’s head in the second quarter.
The Mavericks initially announced Lively was questionable to return with a neck sprain, but later ruled him out for the remainder of the game.
The 20-year-old Lively and starting centre Daniel Gafford played a big role in helping Dallas take a 2-0 lead in the series. Lively was 12-of-12 from the field in the series, including three makes in Game 3, when he was injured.
He had played 9:28 in the game, recording six points, three rebounds, and two assists.
There was no immediate word on whether Lively would return, but it appeared likely he was headed for concussion protocol.
If Lively were to miss a significant amount of time, Canadian Dwight Powell would likely be called upon to fill Dallas’ big-man minutes off the bench.
— With files from Sportsnet Staff
