Maxi Kleber Injury Update: Looking at the latest injury update ahead of Game 1 against Minnesota Timberwolves (May 22)
Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber has continued to feature on the team's injury report leading up to Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Ahead of tip-off, the Mavericks have already submitted their injury report to NBA.com, confirming that Kleber will be out due to a right shoulder injury.
While he will be out for Game 1 against Minnesota, reports indicate that Kleber could wind up returning during this series. As coach Jason Kidd indicated, Kleber looked good in training and was recently running on the treadmill to ensure he got some cardio in.
While many would look at the situation as a hindrance given the high-stakes scenario of the NBA playoffs, Kidd sees it as an opportunity. As he explained while speaking to media members, Kleber's injury gives others on the team, such as Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively, the chance to step up.
Of course, given Kleber's reputation as a playoff performer and his ability to both defend and hit big three-pointers, the Mavericks want him back on the court.
What happened to Maxi Kleber?
In early May, when Dallas and LA were competing in the first round of the playoffs, Maxi Kleber suffered a shoulder injury. The injury occurred in the first half of the game while the veteran ran in transition. A blocking foul from Amir Coffey saw Kleber suffer a shoulder dislocation.
According to Shams Charania, Kleber will be out for a lengthy amount of time due to the dislocation. Initially, there was speculation that Kleber might miss the entire postseason, but recent rumors indicate that he could return much sooner.
Despite little clarity regarding the timeline for Maxi Kleber's return, the fact that Jason Kidd uses "until" rather than "if" is indicative of the fact that the team remains hopeful for Maxi Kleber to return.
How to watch Game 1 of the Mavericks-Timberwolves series?
Game 1 of the Mavericks-Timberwolves WCF series is set to tip-off at 5:30 PM Pacific Time (8:30 PM Eastern). The game will be aired on national TV via TNT, where the Inside the NBA crew will be handling broadcasting duties before and after the game, as well as halftime.
The game will also be broadcast on TruTV for those with cable TV, as well as through quite a few streaming services. MAX, Sling TV, YouTube TV and Fubo will all air the game; however, paid subscriptions are required to do so.