US sports in brief: Kleber and Mavericks extend their winning streak

National basketball player Maximilian Kleber and the Dallas Mavericks have further extended their successful streak in the North American professional league NBA with a must-win win. The Mavericks won their home game against the Washington Wizards, who have not been very competitive this season, 112:104 and celebrated their fifth win in a row. However, the hosts needed a late comeback and Dallas was ten points behind before the start of the final quarter.

Kleber played 24 minutes off the bench and had five points and as many rebounds during this time. The best throwers at Dallas were once again the two top stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Both scored 26 points each, but Doncic particularly stood out with 15 assists and eleven rebounds. It was the Slovenian's tenth triple-double of the season. After their 31st win of the season, the Mavericks remain in eighth place in the Western Conference.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers around Daniel Theis had to admit defeat in the showdown between the two best teams in the West. The Clippers suffered a 100-121 defeat at home against conference leaders Minnesota Timberwolves. Theis had little to do with what was happening on the field; the 31-year-old was only allowed to participate for five minutes, in which he remained without points.

Meanwhile, the New York Knicks are in a bit of a crisis without the currently injured Isaiah Hartenstein. The 103:105 at the Houston Rockets was the third defeat in a row for the Knicks. Hartenstein missed the game due to an Achilles tendon injury he sustained last Thursday (local time) against the Mavericks. Despite the new defeat, the Knicks remain in fourth place in the East.

National ice hockey goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer still has to wait for his first appearance in the new year in the North American professional league NHL. The 32-year-old once again sat on the bench for the entire season in his Seattle Kraken's 3-1 defeat at the New Jersey Devils.

The Rosenheim native played his last game to date on December 9th, after which he was out for several weeks due to injury. After their third defeat in a row, the Kraken remain at 52 points and the playoff places are currently six points away.