Dereck Lively II is expected to play Friday night for the Dallas Mavericks in their NBA Cup game against the Los Angeles Clippers after being sidelined with a sprained right knee.
He is listed as probable on the NBA injury report.
Lively has not played since Dallas’ Oct. 26 win against the Toronto Raptors, with the 21-year-old missing nine games. The Mavericks are 3-9 overall and 2-7 without Lively.
Having the 7-foot-1 Lively back would be a positive step in an otherwise down week in Dallas.
The Mavericks have lost their past two games and fired general manager Nico Harrison, the engineer of the unpopular trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this year.
Lively, in his third NBA season, has appeared in only 94 career games (74 starts) due to injuries. He has averages of 8.6 points and 7.1 rebounds.
The Mavericks have been injury-cursed to start the season.
Kyrie Irving, who is recovering from left-knee surgery, is not expected to return until early 2026. Anthony Davis (left-calf strain) and P.J. Washington (left-shoulder strain) and listed as questionable against the Clippers.
