Mavericks rookie center Dereck Lively is listed as questionable to play tonight in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
Lively missed Game 4 on Tuesday, when the Timberwolves staved off elimination. He suffered a neck sprain in Game 3 on Sunday.
Lively was injured during the second quarter when he fell backward in the lane and was inadvertently kneed in the head by Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns.
On the “Run It Back” program (video link), The Athletic’s Shams Charania said Lively will be a game-time decision, adding “it’s really trending toward a 50/50 chance that he plays.”
When healthy, Lively has been extremely effective in the postseason, knocking down all 13 of his field goal attempts in the series. He had a 14-point, nine-rebound outing in Game 2.
Coinciding with Lively’s absence, Mavs big man Maxi Kleber returned to action in Game 4. After being sidelined since May 3 due to a shoulder injury, Kleber played 13 minutes on Tuesday, contributing two points, one rebound and one assist.
Luka Doncic, as he has often been, is also listed as questionable for Game 5 due to knee and ankle ailments. However, Doncic — who posted a triple-double in 41 minutes on Tuesday — has yet to miss a game during this postseason.