Will Luka Doncic and Maxi Kleber Play Tonight? Mavs Injury Report For Game 6 vs OKC

As many expected, the series between Dallas and OKC has been a back-and-forth battle with no team winning two consecutive games in the last five encounters. Regardless, Luka Doncic’s squad has bought themselves a chance to close out the series tonight after they beat OKC on their home court this Wednesday and took a 3-2 lead. But despite tonight’s Game 6 being played in their arena, victory might not come easily for the Mavs as Luka Doncic is currently on the injury report along with Center Maxi Kleber.

Going by their latest report, Luka’s current status for tonight’s game is probable due to a right knee sprain and left ankle soreness. While Luka has not missed a single game in these playoffs, it is evident from his performance so far that he has been struggling on the court because of the injuries. In a concerning report by TNT’s Jared Greenberg ahead of the last game, he revealed, “Today, I was told if this were the regular season, he would have been shut down for a minimum of at least two weeks.” Apart from the ankle and knee issues, Luka has also been dealing with a back injury and a sore Achilles at least for the last four months.

And for him to get on the court every night for the crucial playoff games, Luka is going through two to three hours of daily intense therapy. However, knowing what’s at stake, Luka has kept his injuries aside and given his all on the court hoping to get the Mavs to the Conference Finals. Even in the last game, he scored a thirty-one-point triple-double to help his team clinch the road game. So, with a chance to finish the job tonight, Luka is likely to suit up despite his current status on the injury report.

Maxi Kleber moving closer to a return

While the Mavs handle the Luka Doncic situation, there is another key player on the roster who has been on the injury report for nearly two weeks. Suffering a separation in his right shoulder AC joint during the final game of the Clippers series, Maxi Kleber has been out of the Mavs lineup throughout the ongoing series with OKC. Unfortunately, the Center is unlikely to return for tonight’s game as he continues to remain ruled out due to the injury.

However, there is a positive update on Kleber’s injury and it is looking like we might see him before the playoffs end, in case the Mavs beat OKC and move on to the next round. Still going through rehab on his shoulder, Kleber recently made huge progress as he was seen participating in light shooting and agility drills.

Adding more hope, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said, “I think there is a possibility that he can return. It’s great to see him get his cardio, his blood flow going and getting with the defensive slides over there. It’s all progress. It’s all going in the right direction.” Although unavailable for this series, Kleber could prove key for the Mavs whenever he returns to action. With his size and 6’10 frame, Kleber proved to be a great asset playing alongside Luka and Kyrie in the previous series, and he could do the same going forward. But first, the Mavs need to take care of business tonight and avoid the Thunder from forcing Game 7. Do you think they can do it?