DALLAS — At least one of the Dallas Mavericks’ key frontcourt players is expected to be back in the lineup Friday against the LA Clippers.
Dereck Lively II, who has missed the previous nine games with a right knee sprain, is expected to make his return in Dallas’ NBA Cup group stage game.
Lively last played Oct. 26 in Dallas’ home win over the Toronto Raptors. Afterward, felt discomfort in his right leg, he said. He was initially listed as out with a right knee contusion, but medical testing revealed his injury was more significant.
“You just have to listen to what (the) doc(tor) said,” Lively said. “It took some time to get the results back. We had to listen to what it was. Can’t lie to y’all. Have to be honest. We are not going to go out there and say it was nothing. I had to listen to my body. I had to give my body some time to rest.”
The Mavericks (3-9) are in 14th place in the Western Conference. On Tuesday, the team fired general manager Nico Harrison, who was with the Mavericks in 2023 when they acquired Lively in a draft-night trade. Lively started 42 games in his rookie season and played an important role on a Mavericks squad that advanced to the NBA Finals.
Lively called the Mavericks’ decision to move on from Harrison “things that are out of my control.”
“I have to be focused on the team,” Lively said. “Getting this ‘W’ today. And bringing as much effort and energy that we possibly can. We are focused on each day and just trying to stay present.”
Lively, 21, has been a difference-maker when he’s suited up. Injury issues, however, have kept him sidelined for long stretches in each of his first three seasons. He dealt with a stress fracture in his right ankle last year, which contributed to his appearing in only 36 games. He has played in 94 games in his career.
Fellow Mavericks big man Anthony Davis has also missed the majority of this season. Davis, who declined to speak with the media Friday at shootaround and is listed as questionable against the Clippers, strained his left calf in the Mavericks’ Oct. 29 game against the Indiana Pacers. He has asked the Mavericks to let him play, but the team’s medical staff has forbidden it due to concern that he could suffer a worse injury — such as a torn Achilles — if he plays before he’s physically ready.
Davis has played 14 games since Dallas acquired him in the February trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Lakers. Davis missed close to six weeks last season with an adductor strain, and in July, he had surgery to repair a detached retina.
Davis, who turns 33 in March, is owed $54.1 million this season and $58.5 million next season. He has a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season.
The Mavericks have lost six of seven games and are 0-1 in NBA Cup group play. The Clippers (3-8) are seeking to end a six-game losing streak.