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The Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers are set to go head-to-head on Saturday night. The game represents the second of a back-to-back for Dallas after they defeated the Phoenix Suns 98-89 on Friday. However, Dereck Lively II, who is dealing with a left hip contusion, has been ruled out for Saturday night's game, per the NBA injury report.
The Mavs will already be without Luka Doncic who is dealing with a calf injury. Naji Marshall and PJ Washington will also not play, as they are serving suspensions following an incident that took place during Friday's game. Dante Exum also remains out as he recovers from right wrist surgery.
It is going to require a complete team effort on Saturday for the Mavs given the plethora of absences. Doncic, Washington and Lively are all starters, while Marshall has been starting in recent action due to Doncic's injury absence. The Blazers are just 10-20 overall this year, so the 20-11 Mavs will still have a respectable chance of winning. With that being said, nothing will be easy on Saturday evening.
Dereck Lively II not playing in Mavericks-Trail Blazers game
Lively did not play on Friday after initially being listed as questionable for the game. Saturday's matchup represents the second consecutive game for the Mavs without Lively. Dallas is unquestionably hopeful he can return soon, though.
Doncic is expected to miss at least a month with his injury. Meanwhile, Marshall received a four-game suspension following an altercation with Suns center Jusuf Nurkic on Friday. Washington received only a one-game suspension for his role in the incident on Friday, so he will return soon. Still, the Mavs are playing without multiple impactful players at the moment.
It remains to be seen when Lively will return. The Mavericks will look to defeat the Trail Blazers on Saturday despite all of the absences. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 PM EST.
