One of the reasons why the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 4 on Friday to stay alive in the 2024 NBA Finals is because their bench stepped up big time.

In the 122-84 win, three different Mavs scored in double digits off the bench, including Dereck Lively II, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds in 22 minutes of action.
Besides his defense and rebounding, one of the biggest momentum plays of the game for Dallas was when Lively made a rare corner three midway through the second quarter after not attempting anything from deep this entire postseason before Game 4.

With his three-pointer and double-double, Dereck Lively II became the youngest player to drill a three-pointer in the Finals. He was also the first rookie since Magic Johnson (1980) to record consecutive double-doubles.
Dereck Lively II only had four points and 12 rebounds combined in 18.5 minutes per game in the first two games of the Finals, but his minutes increased to 30 and 22 in Games 3 and 4.
Dereck Lively II providing the spark for the Dallas Mavericks
Dereck Lively II has been one of the key players in the Dallas Mavericks’ improbable run to the NBA Finals this year, and he showed just that in their recent games.
The 20-year-old rookie is playing an inspired brand of basketball as an ode to his late mom, Kathy Drysdale, who passed away in April due to Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

“She helped me make it (three-point shot). She’s going to help me make a lot more,” Lively said. “She helped me make the free throw. She helped me make reads.”
“I think people forget that he’s a rookie doing this stuff. He’s been amazing the whole season. Just watching him grow was unbelievable,” Doncic said about Lively. “It’s fun having him out there with me and call him my teammate, it’s unbelievable and it’s a pleasure to have him. He’s 50% (from three) this season, he might as well keep shooting.”