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Mavericks injury report: Dereck Lively will miss 2-3 months with a small fracture in his foot
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated51 mins ago on January 22, 2025
The Dallas Mavericks are 23-20 in their first 43 games of the 2024-25 season. In their last 10 games, the Mavericks are 3-7 and are coming off a loss on Monday to the Hornets. Injuries have played a factor for Dallas in the first half of the year.Â
All-NBA PG Luka Doncic sustained a left calf strain on Christmas Day and has been out since. Last Tuesday, starting center Dereck Lively was thought to have sprained his ankle. However, his injury is much more severe. The second-year pro is out 2-3 months will a small fracture in his foot. That’s another massive loss for the Mavericks at this point in the season.
Dereck Lively to miss 2-3 months for the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II has sustained a small fracture in his foot and is expected to miss 2-to-3 months, sources tell ESPN. Critical loss for the Mavs. pic.twitter.com/XJje4eZQsY
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 22, 2025
With the 12th pick in the 2023 NBA draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Dereck Lively out of Duke. On draft night, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. During his rookie season, Lively played in 55 games and made 42 starts. He finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting. Lively averaged (8.8) points, (6.9) rebounds, and (1.4) blocks per game. Despite coming off the bench in the postseason, the young center was still a spark for Dallas.
In year two with the Mavericks, Lively has played in 32 of their 43 games with 25 starts. He’s averaging (9.1) points, (7.8) rebounds, (2.6) assists, and (1.7) blocks per game. Last Tuesday, Lively was believed to have sustained an ankle sprain vs. the Nuggets. However, head coach Jason Kidd gave an update on Monday and he did not sound optimistic. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Lively suffered a small fracture in his foot and will miss 2-3 months.
Lively has missed the last three games due to injury for the Mavericks. Daniel Gafford has started for Dallas in those games and he will be moving forward. In 2024-25, Gafford has played in 41 of 43 games and has made 18 starts. While mostly coming off the bench this season, Gafford is averaging (12.1) points, (6.2) rebounds, and (1.2) assists per game. At best, Dereck Lively could return before the postseason begins.
