Dereck Lively II returned from a four-game absence and produced another double-double to help the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Phoenix Suns on the road on Christmas Day.
Lively was cleared to play in the contest after recovering from a sprained left ankle suffered on Dec. 16. He responded by tying a career high with 20 points, 10 rebounds and one assist in the 128-114 win for his fifth double-double of the season.
The 12th pick became the 12th rookie in history to record at least 20 points and 10 rebounds on Christmas Day. The Mavericks are 4-1 when Lively registers a double-double.
“We can’t forget about what Dereck Lively means to us, just being able to make plays but to be able to finish,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “This kid is only 19. He was big for us tonight.”
Luka shakes the defense with a DIME to Dereck Lively II to push the Mavs lead in the 4Q!
đź“ş #NBAXmas on ESPN pic.twitter.com/ynxpZdqMaX
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2023
Lively has given the Mavericks a strong interior presence on both ends of the court since joining the organization. He can protect the paint on defense with his length and mobility. On the other end, he is a great lob threat after connecting on several lobs this year.
He earned praise from Luka Doncic following the performance.
“The way he has performed since the first game has been amazing,” said Doncic, who had 50 points and 15 assists. “I didn’t expect this impact of him. He has been playing like he has been in the league for 10 years already, so I’m really proud of this guy. He works on his game. He listens to me, so it is a great combo.”
The 7-footer is averaging 9.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 assists on 74.5% shooting from the field in 24 games. He is third in the rookie class in rebounding and blocks this season, and leads the league in field goal percentage.
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