Maxi Kleber has given the Dallas Mavericks an important win in the fight for the playoffs at the Los Angeles Lakers. The Würzburger sank the buzzerbeater in downtown Los Angeles. Dallas wins 111-110.
Los Angeles Lakers (34-37) – Dallas Mavericks (36-35) 110:111 (BOXSCORE)
Kleber hit the first game winner of his NBA career and couldn’t have chosen a better time to do so. At -2, Kyrie Irving couldn’t find a gap and somehow got the ball to Kleber, who coldly fired and hit. A few seconds earlier, Kleber had also ensured that Dallas still had a chance of winning.
At +4 for the Lakers, the German was unnecessarily fouled by Anthony Davis in a three-pointer and Kleber hit all three free throws as a result. Prior to the game, Kleber had only sunk 14 of his 24 freebies. Because Davis hit only one of two attempts on the other side, Kleber Dallas was finally able to win the game.
In the end there were 10 points (2/4 FG, 1/3 three, 5/6 FT) and 4 rebounds in 29 minutes for Kleber. The best scorer, however, was Kyrie Irving, who returned after his foot injury and, apart from a shaky crunch time, made a strong game. 38 points (14/23 FG, 5/9 threes) were noted for Uncle Drew.
Little came of the rest of the Mavs in the second half. Christian Wood (12, 5/15, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) had some good moments but also missed some. That’s also why the Lakers got back into the game from a 14-point deficit. Anthony Davis (26, 9/14 FG, 10 rebounds) got more touches, as did Dennis Schröder (15, 7/13, 5 assists) and Austin Reaves (16) for the hosts. However, the weak odds from Downtown (5/20) and from the free-throw line (19/31) were fatal for the Lakers – not least because of Davis shortly before the end.
Irving’s return (Luka Doncic could also return soon) was immediately felt by the Mavs. The offense looked much better, but Dallas had no resources against Davis. With double teams, the Texans got a better grip on the brow as the game progressed, Davis only taking a single shot in the second quarter. This strategy also worked because in this phase nothing went from afar (0/6 3P).
