MEMPHIS – It’s been an up and down season for Dallas Mavericks forward/center Maxi Kleber, with the downs attributable primarily
to injuries and an illness.
It has added up to Kleber being unable to get the type of consistency in his game that he wants.
“Being injured and in and out (of the lineup) is not ideal, but it is what it is,” Kleber told Mavs.com. “You want to try and get a rhythm (and) you want to be in game shape.
“You can’t really simulate games in practice that much. You just got to figure it out. Also, the schedule has been hectic.”
Kleber’s best game of the season came on Dec. 27 during a 98-89 win at Phoenix when he scored a season-high 15 points in 26 minutes and was 5-of-7 from the field. But as the Mavs lost their season-high fifth consecutive game on Monday – a 119-104 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies – Kleber knows the injuries to guards Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving and Dante Exum have played a major role in preventing the Mavs from piecing together a better won-loss record.
And to add insult to injury, center Daniel Gafford sprained his left ankle in the second quarter Monday and did not return.
“The biggest part of (injuries) unfortunately is it’s a part of professional sports,” Kleber said. “We just got to make the best out of it – the next man up.
“We got to continue doing our preps, our practices, and now it’s just getting used to playing with the new lineups and with the new changes. It’s always a challenge. It’s going to be an opportunity for growth, so we should take advantage of that.”
The Mavs sent a lineup consisting of P. J. Washington and Kleber at the forward spots, Dereck Lively II at center, and Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall in the backcourt to start the game against Memphis. It’s not the ideal starting lineup the Mavs crave, but life in the NBA sometimes makes teams do things they normally wouldn’t do.
“It’s always a challenge no matter what,” Kleber said. “If you’re fully healthy you got to see who’s playing, and if you’re injured you got to make sure what other
matchups or lineups that works for the team.
“But we have a great group of guys. And I think that’s the number one thing is that you have great character guys that love to work hard and do whatever is needed to play in the game and win the games for the team. It’s not an ‘I’ mindset. It’s a ‘team’ mindset.”
Still, with the Mavs now owning a 20-16 record after at one time being 20-11, they are eager to win the war of attrition and have all of their players completely healthy.
“Obviously, we want to be fully healthy and then can continue the season like that,” Kleber said. “But now it is what it is, and we’ll take advantage of the next man up.
“It’s not going to be the same style because of who Kyrie and Luka are. They’re exceptional talents. We just got to make it work as a team.”
MARSHALL HAPPY TO BE BACK: Mavs forward Naji Marshall is very happy to be back playing after missing the past four games.
The NBA hand
ed Marshall a four-game suspension for his role in the dust-up on Dec. 27 at Phoenix. His first game back was Monday, and he scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and picked up two steals during the 119-104 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
“I feel good,” Marshall said prior to Monday’s game. “(I was) just working out with the coaches, running a lot of sprints, lifting weights, just the regular stuff to stay in shape.”
Marshall said the incident in Phoenix happened so long ago that he doesn’t remember what led up to it. He also said it was difficult watching the Mavs play those four games without him.
“It was kind of boring, honestly, because I wanted to be out there,” Marshall said. “I couldn’t be at the game. I’m just happy to be back around the team, at practice and stuff like that — and hotels and everything.”
Marshall also was thrilled to hear that teammate Kyrie Irving said he will pay his fine. “Beautiful guy,” Marshall said. “An amazing guy.
“I just miss the guys. We’ve been shorthanded for a little bit, so I’m just happy to be back.”
BRIEFLY: Mavs center Dereck Lively II had a rather large red scratch on the left side of his face which also came all the way down to the left side of his chest following Monday’s game. “I got scratched,” Lively said. “It’s part of the game. Sorry it’s on my money-maker. That’s why it sucks. But there’s nothing I can do about it.” . . . On the loss to Memphis, coach Jason Kidd said: “I thought the guys did a great job of executing. We got looks. We had a ton of looks in the paint that just didn’t go down for us. We had some floaters (and) we had some layups that we have made here in the past. We didn’t make them tonight, so hopefully we can get those same looks tomorrow against the Lakers.” The Mavs host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center.
X: @DwainPrice
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