Dallas Mavericks’ rookie center Dereck Lively II suffered a lower back contusion in Wednesday night’s 104-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on the road. He checked out of the game with 7:05 remaining in the third quarter and did not return.
The injury occurred after Lively came down hard after an alley-oop attempt. He hit the floor and remained there through the next possession. He was eventually helped to his feet by teammates and Mavericks staffers and gingerly walked back to the locker room with a noticeable limp.