Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who has been sidelined since Jan. 1 with a back injury, returned to action in Tuesday’s home game against the Denver Nuggets. Irving finished with 11 points (on 4-for-18 shooting), four rebounds, two assists and four steals in Dallas’ 118-99 loss.

Irving is listed on the injury report as he continues to deal with a lumbar back sprain. Meanwhile, Dereck Lively II (right ankle sprain), Luka Doncic (left calf strain) and Dante Exum (right wrist surgery) are all out for Friday's game. It is worth noting that Mavs head coach Jason Kidd previously said he expects Irving to play on Friday.

Kyrie Irving reveals how Luka Doncic 'annoys' him, reflecting on their growing bond and dynamic as Mavericks teammates.

The 32-year-old doesn’t anticipate he’ll need surgery. He said he will “most likely” be available to play Wednesday in New Orleans.

Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has been ruled out of Wednesday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, who are similarly resting power forward Zion Williamson. Both players are coming back from injuries.

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving returned for Tuesday night's home game against the Denver Nuggets. Irving, who is averaging 24.3 points and 4.9 assists per game this season, was sidelined the past week because of a lower back injury.

The Dallas Mavericks took a big swing when they traded Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie and a handful of draft picks to bring Kyrie Irving to Texas.

Kyrie Irving struggled in his return against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday following a five-game absence due to a back injury.

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has a bulging disk in his back and is expected ... been out since suffering a strained left calf during the Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Doncic, who was seen using a scooter to move around at the ...

Kyrie Irving is expected to miss a week or two due ... Los Angeles Clippers have an identical record and the 10th-place Minnesota Timberwolves are only 2.5 games back. With both of their ball ...

DALLAS — Kyrie Irving sat out the Dallas Mavericks ... Doncic strained his left calf in a Christmas Day loss to Minnesota. He’s scheduled to be reevaluated late this month.

DALLAS (AP) — Kyrie Irving sat out the Dallas Mavericks' game ... Doncic strained his left calf in a Christmas Day loss to Minnesota. He’s scheduled to be reevaluated late this month.