Mavericks' Dereck Lively II, PJ Washington get pivotal injury updates

Yesterday at 08:08 PM

The Dallas Mavericks have submitted their injury report to the NBA ahead of their game versus the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. In the report, the Mavericks have revealed the injury status of their key role players, including Dereck Lively II and PJ Washington. Lively remains questionable with a right shoulder sprain, while Washington is out due to a right knee sprain. Likewise, the Bulls are also missing Lonzo Ball with a right wrist sprain.

Check out the full injury report from the league for Wednesday’s action.

The Mavericks start slow

Injury to their key role players, Dereck Lively II and PJ Washington, may have slowed the Mavericks after a Finals run last season, as they’ve come out the gate slumping to a 4-3 record, though they haven’t lost two games in a row.

They’ve always bounced back after a loss, and they look to do the same after losing to the Pacers on Monday. In the loss, the Mavericks gave up 134 points to the Pacers, with Myles Turner scoring 30 points, which is untenable if the Mavs want to play like contenders.

Likewise, they still have to keep focus on the Bulls, who may also play without Zach LaVine, questionable for the game because of a right adductor strain. The Mavericks should look to finish the game early and give themselves some momentum to mount a little winning streak.

So far, the Mavericks’ new addition Klay Thompson has contributed some offense, averaging 14.7 points on 44.2% shooting from the field and 38.7% from three-point range. He may need to up his production more, though, to justify the gamble the team made on him after his tenure with the Golden State Warriors.

Outlook

Moreover, the Mavs might need to shore up their front line. They gave up 76 points in the paint to the Pacers in the loss, as Dallas played without the rim protection of Lively.

They could have used Maxi Kleber as backup, but he is also out with a right hamstring strain. Against the Bulls, with big man Nikola Vucevic playing well, the Mavericks will have to pay extra attention to their interior defense.

Still, it’s early in the season, and the team not losing two games in a row yet bodes well for them at this point. They just have to make sure they win more than two straight games.

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