Marc Stein reports Mavericks big man Maxi Kleber is on track to return to action on Tuesday for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
The team has yet to offer any clarity on Kleber’s status beyond upgrading him to questionable for Tuesday’s contest, but Stein says he should be able to play unless he suffers a setback at some point before the game tips off.
Kleber was injured in Game 6 of Dallas’ first-round series vs. the Clippers, sustaining a right shoulder AC joint separation on May 3. The team announced he’d be out for at least three weeks before being reevaluated. Stein stated on Sunday night that the Mavs were optimistic about the possibility of Kleber potentially returning for the NBA Finals — now it sounds like he’ll be able to beat that timeline.
Whether Kleber can perform at his pre-injury level is a separate question, but the Mavs will welcome any quality minutes he can give them in the frontcourt since they’re expected to be without starting center Dereck Lively on Tuesday. Lively sprained his neck in the team’s Game 3 win and is doubtful for Game 4.
Considered a solid defender, Kleber was limited to 43 regular season appearances due to health issues this season and averaged 4.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 20.3 minutes per night. He logged 19.3 MPG during the first round of the playoffs, bumping his scoring average to 5.7 PPG and knocking down 10-of-18 (55.6%) three-pointers.
