DALLAS — The Mavericks’ new year is off to a healthier start.
The team did not list Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber on their status report Saturday, ahead of Sunday night’s matchup in Oklahoma City.
That means the three have cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocol and are eligible to play for the first time since testing positive for COVID-19 in the days before Christmas.
Doncic’s absence has been especially long.
The 22-year-old All-Star has not played since the Mavericks’ Dec. 10 loss in Indiana, when he re-twisted his left ankle that didn’t fully heal after he first sprained it Nov. 15. He missed five consecutive games with ankle soreness before testing positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 22 and missing five more.
The Mavericks, who have signed seven different players to 10-day hardship contracts amid their COVID-19 outbreak, have gone 5-5 in Doncic’s absence.
Kleber and Hardaway have missed the last six games since entering the protocol Dec. 20 and 21, respectively.
It’s unclear whether the three will be active Sunday in Oklahoma City, the Mavericks’ last stop on this five-game holiday road trip and the first night of a back to back.
Reggie Bullock and Josh Green — Dallas’ first two players to return from the COVID-19 outbreak — each sat out their first game post-isolation as they ramped up their conditioning and activity levels.
The Mavericks will also play the Nuggets on Monday in American Airlines Center before Wednesday’s national TV contest against the Warriors that will double as a celebration for Dirk Nowitzki’s jersey retirement.
Dallas’ injury report is still crowded.
Trey Burke, Brandon Knight, Boban Marjanovic, Ja’Quori McLaughlin and Isaiah Thomas remain in COVID-19 protocol, while Frank Ntilikina is questionable to play Sunday because of a left thigh contusion, which forced him to miss Friday’s win in Sacramento.
Willie Cauley-Stein remains away from the team for an extended personal leave.
The Thunder, meanwhile, added Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to their COVID-19 list Saturday, joining head coach Mark Daigneault and three teammates who will not face the Mavericks.
