Mavs Star Luka Doncic Available to Play vs. Pistons; Dereck Lively II OUT
DALLAS — When the Dallas Mavericks face the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, it remains to be seen if Luka Doncic will be available to play. However, it is already known that Dereck Lively II will be unable to play.
The Mavs' injury report before facing the Pistons included Doncic as questionable due to a right elbow sprain, but he was ultimately available to play. Lively was ruled out due to personal reasons. The rest of the names on the list are players on G League assignments, including Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Brandon Williams, Alex Fudge, and Greg Brown III.
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Doncic entered Thursday's win over the Miami Heat with a right ankle sprain but was listed as probable before ultimately helping to guide the Mavs to a 114-108 victory, finishing with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. He's continued to play through ankle injuries often throughout the season by managing them with treatment.
There was focus on Lively's injury status already after he had been kneed in the calf by Bam Adebayo late in the win over the Heat, causing him to limp to the team's bench and initially not putting weight on it. After the game, Lively was walking around just fine in the locker room before leaving the American Airlines Center.
Lively came off the bench for just the third time this season when facing the Heat amid the team's ongoing defensive struggles. He had a strong performance helping Dallas to close out the win as the defensive anchor despite finishing with four points and two rebounds in 23 minutes.
Due to the nature of personal reasons, it's not fair to speculate what a return timetable could look like for Lively. The Mavs will face the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday to complete their brief two-game road trip. Naturally, Lively's status will remain one to monitor.
