The Mavs have a serious concern amid an intense match-up against the LA Clippers. After a flying start to Game 6, the Dallas Mavericks suffered a major blow on a series-deciding game. The team’s lethal shooter Maxi Kleber took a hard fall on the floor after a nasty collision with the Clippers’ Amir Coffey. Kleber ran up the lane for a dunk and Coffey set a moving screen on the speeding Mavs’ star. Unfortunately, he took a hard fall on his shoulder.
Kleber was on the floor, holding his shoulder in immense pain, and taken off the court in the first half. The latest update from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon revealed that the star is doubtful to return for the rest of the game.
Mavs PF/C Maxi Kleber has a right shoulder sprain and is doubtful to return to Game 6.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 4, 2024
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Maxi Kleber has been a valuable asset for the Mavs throughout the season. He holds the ability to take the game away from the opponents within three possessions. Especially, Kleber’s shooting prowess in Game 5 gave a massive boost for the Mavs’ 123-93 win. Speaking of the performance, Luka Doncic said, ” Maxi knocking down three in a row, that helped. The whole team, the energy, the bench was into the game. He was very big today. Big shots.”
He went 5-6 FG from the perimeter, which also included a three on the trot. Kleber scored 15 points off the bench in his 19-minute stay and took the game away from the struggling Clippers. However, in tonight’s game, the Mavs intended to extract a similar outing from the 32-year-old.
Unfortunately, he went down after just a 5-minute stay on the court. In this short stay also, Kleber dropped a three-pointer, giving flashbacks of Game 5. Nevertheless, the Mavs don’t seem to need him for the night, as Luka Doncic and his men dominated the visitors throughout the game.
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The Mavs decimate the Clippers without Maxi Kleber’s service
The Mavs started the game off in a flurry and maintained the lead throughout the game. Despite late resistance from Paul George and James Harden, the team couldn’t chase down the lead. Both superstars put up a poor shooting show, dropping only 18 and 16 points, respectively. On top of it, Russell Westbrook clocked in to further dampen his field goal percentage in this series.
Westbrook already recorded 11-43 FG in the last five games. Tonight, he scored 6 points in his 9-minute stay with a 2-7 FG. Kawhi Leonard-less Clippers stormed out of the series without having anyone to lead the offense.
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On the other hand, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving put together 58 points, leading the way for an emphatic 101-114 win. The Mavs will face the OKC Thunder in the semi-final, setting the stage for yet another thrilling contest. The OKC decimated the Pelicans with a 4-0 win and will look to bring their momentum against the red-hot Mavs.
Who will win the semi-final series between the Thunder and Mavs? Let us know in the comments.