Will Kyrie Irving or Dereck Lively II Play in Mavericks-Thunder?

A few big names will be out for Friday's contest between the Mavericks and Thunder.

May 11, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) reacts after scoring during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game three of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks are hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday evening, with OKC entering the game leading the Western Conference by seven games, and they're tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best record in the NBA. This would be a tough matchup for a full healthy Mavs squad, much less one as banged up as they are.

Dallas will be without Luka Doncic, who is still recovering from a calf strain he suffered on Christmas Day. The latest reports indicated he's a few weeks away from returning but that the Mavs feel confident he should be back before the All-Star break in mid-February. Dante Exum is also still out as he recovers from wrist surgery in the preseason.

READ MORE: Preview: Mavericks Look To Bounce Back Against West's Best OKC Thunder

The bigger questions were the availability of Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II. Irving has been fighting back issues and has missed six of the last seven games. He returned to play against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, then missed the following games against the Pelicans on Wednesday. The expectation is that he'll play, but he's officially listed as questionable.

Lively has already been ruled out with a sprained ankle that he suffered on Tuesday against the Nuggets. Jason Kidd doesn't believe he'll be out long, but he'll be unavailable for this one.

OKC hasn't submitted their injury report for Friday's game yet, as they're on the second night of a back-to-back. They'll be without Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren for some time, and they were missing Ajay Mitchell on Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

READ MORE: NBA Admits to Multiple Game-Changing Missed Calls in Mavericks-Pelicans

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