Mavericks' Dereck Lively: On track to play Sunday

Coach Jason Kidd said Friday that Lively (knee) is trending in the right direction and is on track to play in Sunday's Game 1 against the Clippers, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Lively missed the final eight regular-season games due to a right knee sprain but returned to full practices this week and has avoided a setback thus far. If available, the rookie will likely handle a backup role behind Daniel Gafford, but Lively has proven to be an excellent fit in Dallas and should still play around 20 minutes per game in the playoffs.