The Dallas Mavericks were able to hold off the Los Angeles Lakers' strong comeback charge on Wednesday night, hanging on for the victory after taking a 20-point lead heading into the fourth quarter thanks to some heroics from Kyrie Irving and some crunch-time gaffes from LeBron James. This saved the Mavs from a world of pain, especially when they already lost prized rookie Dereck Lively II to injury in the third quarter after a scary fall off a failed lob pass from Luka Doncic.

The nature of the injury Lively sustained made fans wait with bated breath with regards to what his status was for the coming days, especially after the Mavs center needed to be helped towards the locker room as he couldn't put much weight on his legs after landing hard on his back. But thankfully, it seems as though the injury he suffered isn't as serious as it initially looked.

According to Marc Stein, Dereck Lively II was “walking under his own power near the Mavs' locker room” and that the Mavs rookie insisted that he's “fine”.

This is certainly good news for Mavs fans, as the last thing Lively needs is a derailment to what has been a strong rookie season for him thus far. The 19-year old big man has already made plenty of strides in terms of his defensive discipline and motor on the offensive glass, proving to be the interior presence the Mavs sorely needed in the wake of their terrible end to the 2022-23 season.

For now, however, despite Dereck Lively II's proclamation that he's fine, the Mavs may end up erring on the side of caution even when they have two days of rest before they take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. The Mavs will not want to rush him back and risk further injury.

If Lively ends up missing time due to the back injury he sustained against the Lakers, expect Richaun Holmes to pick up the majority of minutes at center, with Dwight Powell proving to be a reliable hand as well. Holmes put up four points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes of play on Wednesday night in their 104-101 win over LA.