Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban heaps praise on Maxi Kleber
Dallas Mavericks big man Maxi Kleber took another step forward this season. The 6’10 big man has made 15 of his first 31 3-pointers to begin the 2020-2021 season. He is showing off his outstanding defense too. Kleber is the Mavs secret weapon in many ways.
Coach Rick Carlisle inserted the 28-year-old into the starting lineup against the Rockets. The Mavs immediately responded with a win despite Kleber playing just 18 minutes because of foul trouble. Carlisle stuck with the same starting five against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 7.
Kleber had an outstanding game in the overtime win against the Nuggets. Luka Doncic led the way with 38 points as he narrowly missed his second straight triple-double, but Maxi came up big in the clutch. Let us take a look at what Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tweeted about Kleber’s performance.
Kleber was held scoreless for the first three quarters on Thursday night, but he was making key plays on the defensive end of the floor to keep the Mavs in the game. Dallas trailed most of the game before a third-quarter run got them within two. The Mavericks finally took the lead on a Josh Richardson dunk with 4:23 remaining.
Then, Kleber got hot. He nailed three 3-pointers in the final four minutes of the fourth including one that put Dallas up by two with just over two seconds remaining. See the clutch shot below.
The Nuggets tied the game on the other end of the floor to force overtime, but Doncic took over in the extra session to lift the Mavericks to victory.
Kleber’s clutch performance in the fourth quarter prompted Mavs owner Mark Cuban to send out the following message on Twitter.
The boss is not wrong. The average NBA fan may not know who Kleber is, but he will continue to play a key role for the Dallas Mavericks. His ability to defend on the perimeter and in the paint makes him a unique option for coach Carlisle. Expect a new career-high in minutes play and a few more clutch makes from Maxi Kleber this season. Do not miss it.
