“Will Play More Physically”
Kleber’s Mavs silence Utah
04/22/2022, 07:05 am
The Dallas Mavericks win in Utah for the first time in ages. The German national basketball player Maxi Kleber played a significant role in this. He explains why it’s so difficult there – and what the Mavs will probably expect in the upcoming, enormously important playoff match.
In the third playoff game without their star Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks got their second win and in the NBA every chance of entering the next round. More than six years after the last win in Salt Lake City, the Mavericks with basketball national player Maxi Kleber won after a remarkable performance 126:118 against the Utah Jazz.
Like the win on Monday in Dallas, Kleber had a strong evening and contributed 17 points. He hit four of his five three-point attempts. The Mavericks now lead 2-1 in the series. In best-of-seven mode, whoever has four wins first advances to the next round.
“It definitely feels good, especially in the playoffs. It’s very difficult to play here, the fans are very loud,” said Kleber. “When they’re on a roll it’s easy to feel intimidated, but we showed strength today and had a couple of players who eventually took over.”
“It doesn’t get any easier”
Jalen Brunson was the Mavericks’ top pitcher with 31 points. “Being 2-1 up in the playoffs is extremely good, but we also know that they are very hungry now and will come out on Saturday and of course play a little more physically,” said Kleber. “So it won’t be any easier, but of course a second win in Utah would also be nice,” he added.
“We have a lot of character in this dressing room. We just kept playing. This group believes in itself, we talk a lot about defense and we had stops when we needed them,” said coach Jason Kidd. “In a hostile environment against a good team that’s being coached well, we’ve put ourselves in a position to win.”
After an even first quarter, the Mavs pulled away and never fell behind. The Minnesota Timberwolves, on the other hand, lost a huge lead in the first of two straight home games. Despite having gained 26 points in the meantime, they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 95:104 and are now 1:2 behind in the series.