Gets five minutes in closeout game
Kleber (foot) recorded two points (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT) across five minutes Wednesday in the Lakers' 103-96 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 5 of the first-round playoff series.
The Scoop: After completing his recovery from right foot surgery he underwent in late January, Kleber was cleared to make his Lakers debut in an elimination game. He ended up supplanting Jaxson Hayes in the rotation but still held a minimal role while the Lakers continued to favor small-ball lineups primarily featuring Dorian Finney-Smith at center. The 33-year-old will head into the offseason healthy and could make a case for a larger role off the Los Angeles bench in 2025-26, when he'll be entering the final season of the three-year, $33 million contract extension he signed with Dallas in September 2022.
May 1 7:44 ET |
