WATCH: Luka Doncic Shootaround Trick Shot; Dereck Lively II Previews Mavs at Nuggets

DENVER — Before the Dallas Mavericks face the Denver Nuggets, the team participated in a shootaround at Ball Arena. A top focus was on the injury status of Kyrie Irving, who was sidelined for the Mavs' two previous games due to a left foot sprain. It was reported that he'd be available to play before it began. 

Irving participated in the team's typical half-court shooting competition with Luka Doncic during the portion open to the media. It was later confirmed that Irving would be available to play against the Nuggets based on the team's official injury report submission to the NBA.  

You can watch a lengthy recording from the Mavs' shootaround in Denver in the embedded video below. The footage includes Doncic playing 1-on-1 with assistant coach Darrell Armstrong and making a left-handed hook from 3. There is also an opportunity to see Dereck Lively II working on his 3s, along with plenty of other entertaining sequences. 

After most players headed to the bus, Dereck Lively II spoke to reporters, looking ahead to facing the Nuggets. It'll be his first time facing Nikola Jokic as a direct matchup, and it'll be the team's first-ever participation in a game with in-season tournament implications. It's a matchup he's excited to have. 

"It's up there, definitely in the top two," Lively said regarding the level of anticipation he has for the matchup. "They're defending champions, so they're coming for the in-season tournament. They've been doing this. Their team is almost pretty much the same [from their NBA Finals run], so we are doing a lot of the same schemes that they run, and they're a great overall team, so being able to know that we're going up against a team like this, it makes us want to try that much harder."

There's been a strong emphasis placed on avoiding foul trouble. On Monday, he quickly got into foul trouble and stayed that way, often causing him to head toward the sideline. He avoided foul trouble the next game against the Chicago Bulls and played the whole fourth quarter while making plenty of big plays. 

"Just knowing last game, there was a big emphasis on staying down, which transfers into this game,' Lively said. "There are a lot of shot fakes, pump fakes, a lot of kick, a lot of ball movement; you have to make sure you're disciplined and make sure you're doing whatever. My job is protecting the rim and ensuring I have my teammates back."

You can watch Lively's full availability in the embedded video below. 

Check back with DallasBasketball.com for more coverage of the Mavs' matchup against the Nuggets, both before and after tipoff.