Dwight

Powell

Lively has missed their last four games, but it appears that he’s on track to make his return to the lineup in the Mavs’ next game. Daniel Gafford will likely lose out on some minutes, while Dwight Powell will be bumped out of the rotation.

Lively has missed Dallas’ last three games, which, unfortunately, is likely to extend to four. If so, Dwight Powell will continue to serve as the backup center. While Powell isn’t worth streaming in most leagues, he played two more minutes than starter Daniel Gafford (23 minutes) in Friday’s loss to the Suns.

With Dereck Lively II (shoulder) sidelined, Powell stepped into the backup center role on Wednesday. While the defensive production was solid, this isn’t enough to make the veteran center a player worth streaming. However, if Daniel Gafford were to join Lively on the sideline at some point due to injury? Powell would have fantasy value, then.

This will be a second straight absence for Lively, though Daniel Gafford didn’t see much of a boost in their first game. He only played 15 minutes, though that can be attributed to their matchup with Indiana. Against Nikola Vucevic and the Bulls, Gafford should take on a larger role, with Dwight Powell filling out some minutes off the bench.

Lively wasn’t on the initial injury report, so his absence in this game is a surprise. Daniel Gafford should be in for a big night, with Dwight Powell playing a small role off the bench. Gafford usually doesn’t play typical starter minutes, so this should be a boosted stat line.

After injuring his neck during Game 3, Lively did not play in Dallas’ loss in Game 4 on Tuesday. However, TNT did report that the rookie was making strides in his recovery, and a return for Game 5 was a realistic possibility. If Lively plays, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell may fall out of the rotation entirely.

Lively injured his neck during the second quarter of Sunday’s Game 3 victory and did not return. While Dwight Powell re-entered the rotation in the second half, starter Daniel Gafford played most of the available minutes. The Mavericks could also have Maxi Kleber at their disposal, as he is questionable after missing time with a separated shoulder.

Lively has been out since the second quarter when he took an inadvertent Karl-Anthony Towns knee to the back of the head. The rookie center was initially considered questionable to return, but he has since been downgraded to out. Dwight Powell played a few rotation minutes with Lively sidelined, but starter Daniel Gafford has absorbed most of the available minutes.

Livwly missed the final couple of weeks of the regular season, but there is a chance that he is available to play in Game 1 against the Clippers. If he does return to the rotation, he will play an important role off the bench and split minutes with Daniel Gafford and Maxi Kleber down low.

Since they are locked into a first round matchup with the Clippers, Gafford and Kleber will get the day off to get healthy before the postseason beings. Dwight Powell, Alex Fudge and Markieff Morris should see extended run in this game.