The Dallas Mavericks dropped their second straight game to start the NBA Finals on Saturday night, but rookie 7-footer [autotag]Dereck Lively II[/autotag] still made an impression.
The former Duke Blue Devil threw down a vicious two-handed dunk during the third quarter off a simple pick-and-roll with star Luka Doncic. Lively set a screen for the star, but with both Celtics defenders preoccupied with the Mavericks’ star guard, the center easily slipped into the paint undetected.
Doncic fed Lively from there, and the breakout rookie didn’t even bother to dribble. Boston’s Derrick White tried to meet him at the rim, but at just 6-foot-4, he stood no chance. Lively threw down with both hands over his head mercilessly.
The basket served as Lively’s only points of the night after he played just 19 minutes. So far in his first NBA Finals experience, the Duke product is averaging 2.0 points and 6.0 rebounds through two games.
Just a rookie & his vet 🤞 pic.twitter.com/wqFJPxQ0vs
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) June 10, 2024
Game 3, in front of Lively’s home crowd in Dallas, tips off on Wednesday night.