A source familiar with the situation revealed that Dallas Mavericks center Maxi Kleber has suffered a separated shoulder, putting his availability for the remainder of the playoffs in doubt. The injury occurred during the first half of the Mavericks’ 114-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
The person shared this information with The Associated Press anonymously, as the club has not officially announced details of the injury.
Dallas secured a 4-2 victory in the first-round series and is set to face the top-seeded Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals starting Tuesday night.
Kleber sustained the injury while driving towards the basket at full speed during a transition play. He fell hard on his right side after a collision with LA’s Amir Coffey, who was charged with a blocking foul.
Despite visibly experiencing pain, Kleber returned to the game briefly to take free throws before exiting again at the next stoppage of play. Kleber’s proficient 3-point shooting was a valuable asset for Dallas during the series.
