When it rains, it pours for the Dallas Mavericks.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported Saturday that Mavs big man Maxi Kleber has suffered a broken right foot. Kleber will now be out for an extended period of time as a result, Charania adds.
The 32-year-old Kleber sustained the injury during Saturday’s loss to the Boston Celtics. After giving Dallas some strong minutes during their NBA Finals run last season, he was supposed to step into a bigger role after fellow big Dereck Lively II suffered a fractured foot of his own earlier in the week (which is expected to sideline Lively for multiple months).
With Kleber, a career 35.5 percent three-point shooter at 6-foot-10, done for the indefinite future, the Mavs are now down to Daniel Gafford as their only true center. At 24-22, they are in danger of falling out of play-in territory in the Western Conference, a slide that began in the first place with Luka Doncic suffering a significant injury in December (though Dallas did recently get a good sign on that front).
