Lakers’ Maxi Kleber Makes Season Debut Against Hawks
ATLANTA — Lakers reserve forward-center Maxi Kleber returned to the court in Saturday’s 122–102 road loss to the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. It was his first game of the season after missing the opening nine matchups due to an abdominal muscle strain.
The Lakers upgraded Kleber from questionable to available about two and a half hours before tipoff.
“I’m gonna be ready,” Kleber said after the morning shootaround. “Just be prepared, be back out with the guys, get back in rhythm and routine.”
Kleber explained that the injury occurred during a preseason practice when he drove to the basket.
“Very unfortunate, unlucky,” he noted. “But we did our best to stay in shape and recover quickly.”
The 33-year-old German forward made his first regular-season appearance late in the third quarter, checking in at the 5:59 mark when Coach JJ Redick began resting his rotation players with the team trailing 90–65.
In 14 minutes of play, Kleber contributed one point by splitting two free throws, recorded two blocks, collected two rebounds, and handed out one assist. He had also missed much of the preseason because of a minor quadriceps issue suffered during the first practice of training camp in September.
Author’s Summary
After recovering from multiple injuries, Maxi Kleber finally returned for the Lakers, delivering a modest but encouraging 14-minute stint in a loss to Atlanta.