Maxi Kleber was back on the court for the Mavericks Saturday night against New Orleans and it was nothing short of a morale booster.
The 6-10 veteran had been out since Dec. 8 dealing with a slow-to-heal small right toe dislocation, for which there was nothing that could be done except let it heal naturally.
His return was modest. He played 11 minutes and had two points, two rebounds, an assist and a block in the Pelicans’ 118-108 victory at American Airlines Center.
But it was 11 minutes when the Mavericks didn’t have to go with ultra-small-ball.
And, they were plus-5 when Kleber was on the court.
“It felt good. I just got to get used to it, get my rhythm back, get my wind back,” Kleber said afterward in the Mavericks’ locker room. “But overall I’m just happy. It held together in limited minutes. The second half was a little rougher just because it was sore from the first half. But overall, a good day.”
For the first three games of the season, things were coming together nicely for Kleber.
He was fitting into a consistent role backing up rookie center Dereck Lively II and the Mavericks were 3-0 with Kleber playing about 24 minutes per game.
Then, he injured the toe against Chicago in the fourth game and he had to leave after four minutes.
A week later, he tried to come back, but the injury recurred against Toronto.
“It’s not a common injury, but every change of direction, every defensive slide, everything you do, is pushing out and the whole weight is on this joint,” he said, pointing to the area where the bones in the foot connect with the small toe. “It was up and back, so it was fully out.
“And then a couple games later when we tested it, pain was not the issue, but it wasn’t stable because it happened again. In that game, it popped out two more times. So it was just not stable.
“It was a shot we wanted to try and it was good that we did it. Then we just had to let it heal and it took a little bit longer than expected. The (medical) team did a great job. It just took a long time.”
Two months and five days, to be exact, between games.
But Kleber’s return on Saturday was a welcomed sight.
The Mavericks’ depth has been ravaged with many reserves moving into the starting lineup and the starters that are left racking up big minutes.
That’s why the Mavericks have looked like a tired team at times lately.
Because they are.
“I can’t wait for everybody to be back,” Kleber said. “A lot of these guys have been playing a lot and they got beat up, too.”
And, of course, the schedule and lack of surplus bodies has made it impossible for the Mavericks to run legitimate practice sessions, which would help expedite Kleber’s return to his full-time role.
“It’s tough right now with the schedule,” he said. “There’s no practice time at all. So we did the best to get the cardio to a point where I feel comfortable out there. And now it’s just build it from there.”
Here’s our other takeaways from the Mavericks’ loss to the Pelicans:
Something old, something new: The Pelicans consistently ran their offense through Jonas Valanciunas in the post or the near wing. The wily 12-year veteran used his vision and passing skills to help New Orleans stay in front most of the way. And the recipient of several of his seven assists was rookie Jordan Hawkins, the 21-year-old rookie out of UConn who had a season-best 34 points. Hawkins was particularly sharp on the fourth quarter, hitting all six of his shots (two from three-point land) and scoring 14 of the Pelicans’ 39 points as they outscored the Mavericks by 12. “We came on the dribble and we came on the catch and both were not effective,” coach Jason Kidd said of the Mavericks’ defense on Valanciunas. “So we got to work on that. We were late on Hawkins, so we got to be better.” They have until the 1:30 p.m. rematch on Monday to figure things out.
Free-throw disparity: Generally speaking, the Mavericks have gotten a fair shake at the free-throw line this season, courtesy of Luka Dončić, who averages nearly nine free throws per game. But Luka has missed four of the past nine games. In those four games, the Mavericks have been outshot at the line by 31 (nearly 8 per game). Against the Pelicans, they shot 20 free throws, making 19. New Orleans was 28-of-37.
Lacking on both ends: The Mavericks did not have a particularly sharp offensive game. And that had an impact at the other end, Kidd said. “If we’re scoring, we’re going to be really good,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to win every game. But we weren’t scoring, our defense disappeared on us. We have to be consistent in that area. If we’re not scoring, we got to still continue to compete. If things aren’t going well for us on the offensive end, we have to be better on the defensive end. That’s the only way you can win in this league.”
X: @ESefko
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