Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II had team's fans and NBA world worried after taking a hit on the head in Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He was ruled out for the rest of the night as the Mavs are now just a win away for a return to the NBA finals with a 3-0 Western Conference Finals lead.
The injury occurred in the second quarter of the game when he tried to block Mike Conley's shot and lost his balance while going down.
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Lively, who earlier in the day was honored for All Rookie Second Team citation, ended up on the floor and hit his head on the knee of Karl Anthony Towns who was trying to grab the rebound.
The game was paused for a while and he was assisted to the locker room for more tests before getting ruled out of the game.
Dereck Lively took a knee to the back of the head.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 27, 2024
Hope he is OK. 🙏
pic.twitter.com/5IwhBRF46S
It is later known that he suffered a neck sprain.
ESPN's Tim McMahon, citing anonymous sources, said Lively will not be put in NBA protocol due to concussion for now.
"Mavs rookie center Dereck Lively II left the arena to get a scan to evaluate the severity of his sprained neck, sources told @mcten and me," McMahon wrote on X.
"Lively is not in the NBA's concussion protocol at this point."
What does the NBA concussion protocol says?
If a player gets put in the concussion protocol, the NBA rule says he is likely to miss the next game depending on the evaluation.
When worse come to worst, it will be a lengthy absence for the player.
"Understanding that concussions are diverse injuries that may have significant long-term consequences, the NBA Concussion Policy is designed to maximize the health and safety of NBA players by providing a framework of education and clinical management that best reflects the current scientific understanding of the injury," the NBA concussion policy says.
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