Dereck Lively II takes a knee to the head minutes after knee to the family jewels

Derek Lively II took a literal beating during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.

The Mavericks rookie, who has become invaluable to Dallas, had to leave Sunday's game after taking a knee to the head.

Lively stayed down on the court for several minutes after Karl-Anthony Towns' knee slammed into the back of his head as the Timberwolves big man went for a rebound.

That contact was entirely incidental. Lively happened to fall right into the path of KAT as he went up. The center had to be helped off the court and made his way to the locker room for testing. He'll undoubtedly be checked for a concussion after that severe of a hit to his head.

That wasn't the only painful hit Lively took on Sunday either.

Just minutes before, Lively came into contact with KAT's knee in a different part of his body.

That shot to, uh, Lively's groin area left him in a heap on the court as well. Understandably so.

If not for the head injury that came later, this might have been one of the funnier moments of the playoffs.

The Mavericks challenged that play arguing KAT led with his knee. However, the officials determined Towns' knee was in a position consistent with his shooting motion. So, he got away with that one.

There's no doubt KAT had no intention of injuring Lively on either play. Still, it's surprising Lively took two different knees from Towns and not a single foul resulted.

The Mavericks weren't charged a timeout during the stoppage in play for Lively's injury because of concussion protocol. So Lively is not expected back on Sunday night. His availability for the rest of the series is also in question, depending on the severity of any brain injury he may have suffered.

Lively has been averaging 8.7 points and 7.4 rebounds in the postseason. He's become an integral part of the Mavericks' success despite his youth. His absence is sure to be noticed.