Dereck Lively on making crucial free throws vs. OKC: 'I know my momma got me' / News - Basketnews.com

Dallas Mavericks big man Dereck Lively explained how he made crucial free throws against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a Game 3 win.

Credit: AP-Scanpix Credit AP-Scanpix

Dallas Mavericks and Dereck Lively got a crucial Game 3 win with a score of 105-101 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals to go up 2-1.

Player of the Game EFF 26 Luka Doncic Points 22 Accuracy 7-17 Rebounds 15 Assists 5

The win was partly thanks to Lively making clutch free throws, sinking the OKC's strategy of purposefully fouling him.

In an interview with Brad Townshend, the big man explained what motivated him in those crucial moments: his mother.

"I know my momma got me. She's watching me. And I know she's telling me to make the damn free throws, so I've got to step up and make them," Lively said with a smile.

He also stated that his teammates encouraged him to not run away from Chet Holmgren, who was trying to foul him to send him to the charity stripe in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.

"My teammates were like, 'Why the hell are you running? Just stay there and knock them in.' Just having my teammates back me up like that made me just want to step up and make them even more," he explained.

Lively made 8/12 of his free throws in the game, a decided improvement over his season average of 52.6% shooting from the charity stripe.

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