Dallas Mavericks: Maxi Kleber starts in Germany’s loss to Japan

Dallas Mavericks big Maxi Kleber played well, but Japan led by Rui Hachimura defeated Germany in an exhibition game on Aug. 24. Find out the latest here.

Dallas Mavericks power forward Maxi Kleber will need to take another step forward this season. He is entering his third year in the NBA. Kleber is a proven floor spacer and rim protector. The Mavs are expecting 25-plus minutes per game from the 27-year-old for the first time in his career.

Kleber is preparing for the season by playing for his native Germany. The German National Team is getting set for the 2019 FIBA World Cup with exhibition games. They are currently in Japan. Germany picked up a victory on Friday. Here is how they performed in their tune-up on Aug. 24.

Japan tops Germany

Germany started strong including holding a seven-point lead at halftime, but it was not enough against the hosts. Japan picked up an 86-83 victory on Saturday. Wizards’ rookie Rui Hachimura led the way for Japan with 31 points, five rebounds, two steals, and one block in 30.9 minutes.

Maxi Kleber started again for the Germans. He finished with eight points, four rebounds, two assists, two 3-pointers made, one steal and one block in 20.7 minutes of action. It was the second of a back-to-back for Germany which limited Kleber’s minutes slightly.

Up next

The German National Team is ready for the World Cup. They kick off the tournament in China with a difficult game against France on Sept. 1.

Kleber is one of four current NBA players on the German roster. Thunder guard Dennis Schroder, Celtics center Daniel Theis, and Wizards guard Isaac Bonga round out the quartet.

Germany will be looking to advance past the group stage with the goal of going home with some hardware. It would be their first World Cup medal since the German’s won bronze in 2002 being led by Mavs GOAT Dirk Nowitzki.

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