In a promising turnaround for Mavs, Maxi Kleber and Kristaps Porzingis listed questionable vs. Pelicans

Editor’s note: this story has been updated.

Sunday seemed to start off badly for the Mavericks, when news that Maxi Kleber became the team’s fourth key player to enter the NBA’s “health and safety protocol” forced the franchise to close its training center.

But the release of the final injury report on Sunday night revealed a promising turnaround for the Mavericks and potentially another: Kristaps Porzingis is listed as questionable for Monday’s home game against New Orleans – as well as Kleber.

Kleber’s original reports on Sunday said he faced an absence of 10 to 14 days, but his questionable list in the injury report is indicative that there is uncertainty about the result of the COVID-19 test.

If Kleber had been listed as out of the injury report, as was the case with Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Richardson and Jalen Brunson, he could not have played on Monday. The Mavericks hope that the result of Kleber’s test on Monday morning will clarify his status and perhaps enable him to play.

Porzingis has not yet played this season during the rehabilitation of an October surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee, but coach Rick Carlisle indicated after Saturday’s home victory over Orlando that Porzingis’s return was near.

Porzingis suffered a knee injury early in Game 1 of the Dallas playoff series against the Clippers in the bubble. He played the rest of game 1, as well as games 2 and 3, but when the knee discomfort did not subside, he was unable to play the final three games in the series.

Before the injury, Porzingis was playing at the All-Star level, averaging 26.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 46.8% throwing during his final 21 games of the regular season.

In six qualifying games on the Disney World campus bubble, Porzingis averaged 30.5 points and 9.5 rebounds and was named the first All-Seeding Team, along with his teammate Luka Doncic.

Porzingis’ return, and potentially avoiding Kleber’s long-term absence that the Mavericks feared, would be a huge boost for a team that won three straight games and rose above 0.500 (5-4) for the first time this season, but was shaken Friday with the news of losing Finney-Smith, Richardson and Brunson.

Sources said The news that one of the three players tested positive for COVID-19 and that the other two players continue to test negative, but must remain in quarantine for indefinite periods.

As of Sunday night, Finney-Smith, Richardson and Brunson were still in Denver, where they have been since they learned of their health and safety protocols on Friday, the day after the Mavericks defeated the Nuggets in overtime.

It is not yet known when and how the three Mavericks will return from Denver.

“We are all dealing with a wide range of circumstances, so we have to stay calm and we always have to have a plan for adversity,” Carlisle said before Saturday’s victory over Orlando. “We hoped that this sort of thing was certainly a realistic possibility and now we are dealing with it.”

Kleber played on Saturday night 23 minutes against Magic, scoring five points and pulling three rebounds. He was transferred to the starting lineup last week and started in three consecutive games, all with Mavericks victories.

+++

Find more Mavericks coverage at The Dallas Morning News on here.