Mavericks receive heartbreaking injury news days before Thunder series

On Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the LA Clippers in Game 6 of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs to move on to the second round to play the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving led the way in this win, with role players like P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II stepping up as well. Role players stepping up at timely moments was a huge storyline in this series, and the Mavs will need everyone at their best to take down the No. 1-seeded Thunder.

While tons of excitement is building for Mavs fans after the huge win on Friday night, some of that excitement was hindered on Saturday afternoon due to some heartbreaking injury news to one of the Mavs' forwards.

Maxi Kleber fully dislocates AC joint in shoulder days before Thunder series

Maxi Kleber went down with what was said to be a shoulder sprain in the first half of Game 6 on Saturday night, and it was reported that Kleber would be doubtful to return to the game. Mavs head coach Jason Kidd didn't have any updates regarding Kleber's injury after the game, and a report by Shams Charania of The Athletic delivered some heartbreaking news to all Mavs fans that could change everything.

According to Charania, Kleber fully dislocated the AC joint in his right shoulder and is expected to miss "a significant period of time, if not the entire postseason."

This was the worst possible news that Mavs fans could have received ahead of the team's second-round series against the Thunder that begins on Tuesday. Kleber has been one of the team's best defenders in the playoffs so far, and he was playing some of his best basketball of the season before getting injured.

In Game 5, Kleber shot 5-7 from downtown and stepped up in a big way to help the Mavs to get out to an early lead in that game. Kleber's overall effect on the game is extremely underrated, and he will be missed.

It's unclear how Kidd will alter his rotation to fill in for Kleber's minutes, and this could mean that Washington plays more minutes considering he spends most of his time at the four.

For all the latest on the Dallas Maverick throughout their 2024 NBA Playoff run, stay tuned.