At 8:30pm ET on Thursday, the Dallas Mavericks, featuring Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, a one-year standout for the 2010-11 Duke basketball team, will try to bounce back from a 105-100 loss in Game 4 at home on Tuesday night to close out their Western Conference finals series on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
See also: 'Alaskan Assassin' joins NBA Blue Devils' ranks
Dallas may or may not be pleased with the availability of another NBA Blue Devil in 7-foot-1 rookie Derek Lively II, who is the team's main boost down the line, albeit in a reserve role.
But the 20-year-old up-and-coming big man's outlook for Game 5 looks a lot brighter than it did 24 hours ago for Game 4, a game he ended up missing after suffering a gruesome neck injury in the second quarter of the Mavericks' Game 3 win in Dallas on Sunday night.
On Wednesday night, the team upgraded Lively to questionable for Game 5.
The wheels go up ✈️
📸 Follow pic.twitter.com/JsYl6l9277
— Derek Lively II Muse (@DL2Muse) May 30, 2024
The Mavericks are down 3-0 in the series with Lively in the lineup, and in his 63 minutes on the court, he is a +22 overall and is averaging 9.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 13-of-13 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 free throws per game.
If Dallas advances, Derek Lively II and Kyrie Irving will face off against one-year Duke basketball player Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics starting next Thursday, marking the first time three former Blue Devils players will appear in the same NBA Finals.
See also: Not one Duke University freshman is on campus this week.
