Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Dereck Lively II was forced to leave Wednesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers after suffering a concerning ankle injury.

Lively sustained the injury midway through the third quarter of the contest after crashing on Blazers guard Scoot Henderson, which caused his left ankle to roll. He stayed on the floor after the incident and was in clear pain. He had to be helped off the floor and brought to the locker room.

Here's a closer look on how Lively suffered the injury:

The Mavs quickly ruled out Dereck Lively II, citing a left ankle sprain as the reason.

While there was no need for Lively to come back to the game since the Mavs were dominating the Blazers prior to his exit, it's safer to assume that Dallas did not rule him out of precaution. Lively's injury appeared serious, and his condition is definitely something worth monitoring moving forward.

Lively's potential absence is going to be brutal for the Mavs, especially since the rookie has established himself as Dallas' top center and perfect partner alongside Luka Doncic. Heading to the game, Lively has been averaging 9.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists on 72.8 percent shooting. The former Duke standout is also tallying 1.4 blocks per game as Dallas' defensive anchor.

The 19-year-old big man missed four straight games in December after a scary fall that led to a lower back contusion. In those matches that he didn't play, the Mavs lost three straight before breaking the slump against the hapless San Antonio Spurs.

Sure enough, Dallas is hoping that Lively won't need to be sidelined for long, especially amid an intense battle for playoff seedings in the West.