Dereck Lively II receives an update on his health Before the Western Conference Finals game five

Before game five of the Western Conference Finals, Dereck Lively II, a forward for the Dallas Mavericks, has been upgraded from doubtful to questionable.
Dereck Lively II, a crucial component of the Dallas Mavericks’ incredible journey to the Western Conference Finals, has had an update to his medical prognosis. Thankfully, there was some positive news in the update for the former Duke basketball player.

The youngster has been upgraded to questionable to play on Thursday night after missing game four due to a neck injury sustained in game three against the Minnesota Timberwolves. That is based on information from numerous social media outlets.
Dallas suffered its first loss of the series on Tuesday night, falling short 105-100 without Lively in the starting lineup. Furthermore, Minnesota’s victory was largely dependent on one of the players Lively would have been assigned to guard.

Tuesday’s performance by Minnesota big man Karl-Anthony Townes, who scored 25 points and pulled down five rebounds, was his finest of the series. After making four to five shots from beyond the arc, many of which came during crucial moments when the game was close, he was particularly clutch from three-point range.
It’s no accident that Townes was able to take over while Lively was out. He shot no better than 30% and did not score more than 16 points in any of the first three games of the series. He had a scorching 69.2% shooting percentage in the fourth game.

Lively, on the other hand, has been Dallas’ spark plug in the Western Conference Finals coming off the bench. Before being limited to just nine minutes in game three due to a knee to the back of his neck, he played an average of 27 minutes per game in the first two games of the series.
He scored nine points and eleven rebounds in the opening game and fourteen points and nine rebounds in the second. This is the continuation of an unexpectedly successful rookie season for a player who finished his only season at Duke with an average of just 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds.

In the NBA Draft of the previous year, he was selected with the 12th overall choice despite his length and athleticism. Additionally, he assisted in making Dallas an NBA title candidate while still a rookie.

Throughout 55 games and 42 starts, he averaged 8.8 points and 6.9 rebounds. He blocked 1.4 shots per game and shot 74.4% from the field along the road.
Together, he and Daniel Gafford, the Mavericks’ trade deadline acquisition, form a powerful post duo that will be difficult to oppose. If Lively is healthy enough to play on Thursday, he might help his Mavericks defeat the T-Wolves and make it to the NBA Finals.