Dallas Mavericks: Maxi Kleber and Germany looking for upset over France

Dallas Mavericks big man Maxi Kleber plays in the matchup of the day at the World Cup on Sept. 1 when his Germany squad takes on France. See more here.

Dallas Mavericks fans can enjoy the 2019 FIBA World Cup over the next two weeks. Maxi Kleber is playing for Germany in the tournament. Boban Marjanovic is suiting up for Serbia. They are the two current Mavericks in this year’s event.

Kleber and Germany are preparing for a crucial game on Sunday. They take on France in their first of three Group G matchups. Those two teams are the favorites to advance from their pool. Most expect Sunday’s victor to win the group. It also significantly improves the medal chances for that team because the loser will have to face Team USA in the quarterfinals of the knockout phase.

France is coming off a rough loss to Serbia. Neither team could get much offense going on Aug. 27 as Serbia picked up a 61-56 win.

Germany is coming off an impressive performance against Australia. They picked up a 74-64 victory over one of the World Cup favorites.

Scouting France

The French National Team is a deep and talented squad this year. They are ranked fifth in FIBA’s Power Rankings. Jazz center Rudy Gobert is the leader and defensive anchor of their group. France also has NBA players Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier, Frank Ntilikina, and Vincent Poirier.

Kleber interesting matchup

Germany will be led by Dennis Schroder, Maxi Kleber, and Daniel Theis. It will be interesting to see how the French decide to matchup. Gobert figures to play at the five against Theis for significant stretches of the game. Kleber could be a tough cover, though. France is flush with wing options, but they lack the larger forward to handle Kleber.

The Mavs big man will have the difficult task of defending the rim on Sunday. Gobert will be a problem in the paint. Remember, players only get five individual fouls before disqualification in FIBA play.

Regardless, the Sept. 1 matchup between Germany and France should be an exciting game. The contest tips off at 7:30 a.m. local time in Dallas on Sunday. Dallas Mavericks fans can watch on ESPN+. The Smoking Cuban will be back with all the coverage for those that are unable to enjoy the contest.