MINNEAPOLIS – The Mavericks won’t know for sure about the availability of Dereck Lively II until close to gametime on Thursday, but what is certain is that they dodged a bullet.
When the back of Lively’s head collided sharply with Karl-Anthony Towns’ knee, the gasp inside American Airlines Center spoke volumes.
It looked bad. Could have been a concussion. Could have been a serious neck or head injury.
Thankfully for Lively, it appears to have been none of the above.
A neck sprain doesn’t sound like much fun, either.