Why isn’t the Mavs’ Maxi Kleber playing in Game 4 against the Thunder today?

Maxi Kleber remains unavailable to the Dallas Mavericks as Jason Kidd’s men take on the Oklahoma Thunder today, with the Texans 2-1 up in the teams’ Western Conference semi-final series.

Kleber has been sidelined since the start of May, after suffering a shoulder injury in Game 6 of the Mavericks’ first-round NBA Playoffs series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

How did Kleber get injured?

The German damaged his shoulder when he landed awkwardly in Dallas’ 114-101 win over the Clippers - a triumph that saw the Mavericks seal a 4-2 series victory over the Californians.

What exact injury does Kleber have?

“An MRI revealed a right shoulder AC [acromioclavicular] joint separation for forward Maxi Kleber,” Dallas said in a statement on 5 May, adding: “Kleber will be re-evaluated in three weeks.”

The power-forward appears certain to miss the entirety of the conference semi-finals series against the Thunder, which is due to run until 20 May at the latest. At the very least, the 32-year-old is also in line to miss the opening games of the conference finals, if Dallas qualify.

Indeed, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported in the aftermath of Kleber’s injury that he is expected to be out “for a significant period of time”, adding that the problem may prevent him from returning to action this season.

Who else is on the Mavericks’ injury report?

The Mavericks say their star guard Luka Doncic is questionable for Game 4 against the Thunder, with the Slovenian dealing with a right knee sprain and soreness in his left ankle.

Doncic sustained the knee issue in Game 3 against the Clippers, before hurting his ankle in Game 2 against the Thunder. Despite his fitness problems, the 25-year-old has appeared in every postseason clash so far.

Alongside Kleber, Olivier Maxence-Prosper is out for the Mavericks, as the Canadian recovers from an ankle injury that has prevented him from playing since late April.

Mavericks vs Thunder: Game 2 start time, how to watch

In Game 4 of the Western Conference semi-finals, the Dallas Mavericks host the Oklahoma Thunder today, Monday 13 May 2024, at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT.

Viewers in the United States will be able to watch the game on TNT, and can stream the action on the online platform fuboTV, which offers new users a free trial.

Enjoy the Thunder vs the Mavericks live on fuboTV.

What has happened in the series so far?

The No. 5 seed in the West, the Mavericks have come from behind to lead the conference semi-final after three Games. Having lost 117-95 to the top-seeded Oklahoma in the opener last Tuesday, Dallas levelled things up with a 119-110 victory two days later, before winning their first home Game of the series (105-101) on Saturday.

The Mavericks and the Thunder are battling out to advance to a conference final against either the Minnesota Timberwolves or defending champions the Denver Nuggets. That semi-final clash is currently tied at 2-2 after, the Nuggets wiped out a 2-0 deficit in Games 3 and 4.

The Mavericks, who won their only NBA championship so far in 2011, are chasing only their second appearance in the Western Conference finals since lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy 13 years ago.

Meanwhile, the Thunder last reached the conference finals in 2016. The franchise also has one NBA title to its name, having been crowned champions in 1979, before its move to Oklahoma. At the time, it competed as the Seattle SuperSonics.