The Mavericks have been winning lately without two of their best defenders in Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith.
Don’t let that fool you that they can prosper simply by letting their offense carry them. That’s a dangerous game that usually catches up with you.
Kleber has been out since Dec. 14 with a right hamstring tear. Finney-Smith has been out since Dec. 21 with a right adductor strain. Neither appears particularly close to returning.
And while the Mavericks have won eight of their last nine games, that doesn’t diminish the importance of those two players and what they bring, particularly at the defensive end of the floor.