Duke basketball pro Kyrie Irving has been out of commission since New Year’s Day due to a back injury. But the Dallas Mavericks’ other NBA Blue Devil, 2022-23 one-and-done Dereck Lively II, helped the squad improve to 2-2 in the eight-time All-Star guard’s absence by delivering a season-high 21 points and 16 rebounds in a 117-111 home victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.

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Lively’s boards matched his career high. His 9-for-13 shooting from the field marked a new career high in field goal attempts, as he added a 3-for-3 clip at the charity stripe. And the 7-foot-1, 230-pound center’s combined points and rebounds — his second time eclipsing 20 and 15 across his two seasons in the league — equated to yet another career high.

That’s not to mention Lively’s game-high three blocks in his 35 minutes as a starter.

Through his 30 outings this season, the mere 20-year-old Duke basketball product, who came off the board No. 12 overall at the 2023 NBA Draft, is averaging 9.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.7 blocks in 24.6 minutes per game. He’s shooting 69.9 percent from the field and 62.7 percent at the foul line.

Dereck Lively II and the Dallas Mavericks (22-16), sitting at No. 5 in the Western Conference standings and looking to build on their NBA Finals appearance last year, now have two days off before hosting the Denver Nuggets (21-15) at 3 p.m. ET Sunday.

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