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DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks were without center Dereck Lively II in their 105-100 loss to Minnesota in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. The Timberwolves avoided a sweep with the victory and will be back home for Game 5 on Thursday night. Lively had a sprained neck after he was accidentally kneed in the back of the head by Karl-Anthony Towns in Game 3. The Mavs tried to cover for Lively's absence with the return of Maxi Kleber. The 6-foot-10 Kleber had been out since May 3 with a separated shoulder. Kleber scored two points in 13 minutes. Dallas picked seldom-used Dwight Powell as the first sub for starter Daniel Gafford. But Powell played just three minutes and didn't return.
