Mavericks center Dereck Lively II missed Monday’s matchup with the Pacers due to a shoulder injury. He was a late scratch after feeling discomfort in his right shoulder, which the Mavericks are calling a sprain.
Dallas could have used Lively’s defensive presence in the 134-127 loss to Indiana as the Pacers shot a sizzling 56.8% from the floor and scored 76 points in the paint.
After the game, Jason Kidd said he didn’t know when he got hurt and he will get an MRI on Tuesday to see what the issue is. According to a report from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, sources expressed optimism that Lively’s injury isn’t significant.
Without Lively, Dallas struggled defensively and Kidd elected to go with a small ball approach. Daniel Gafford played just 15 minutes and Dwight Powell played just seven minutes. One silver lining from the smaller lineup was Naji Marshall finally broke out and had his best game in a Mavs uniform, tallying 20 points, five rebounds and six assists in 34 minutes.
If Lively is going to miss some time, Gafford, Marshall, Powell and P.J. Washington will likely be called upon to fill in.
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