In the fourth game of their lengthy Western Conference road trip, the Cavs will be without one of their top perimeter shooting threat.

Kyrie Irving on the trade that sent him from Brooklyn to Dallas: “Best trade in the business baby. We won that trade! We won that trade! I was bad goods.”

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.

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.

That decision forced the Thunder to stick close to the Mavericks' role players throughout the first quarter. Once Washington scored the first five points, Irving asserted himself and drained a 3-pointer before finishing at the basket with a finger roll to give the Mavericks an early 10-0 lead.

The Dallas Mavericks might have jumped on the Oklahoma City Thunder early in a matchup at the American Airlines Center, but it wouldn't hold for them. Late in the third quarter, the big lead had been erased.

The Dallas Mavericks are preparing for a crucial game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, with star guard Kyrie Irving's status uncertain due to a lumbar back sprain. Luka Doncic remains sidelined with a left calf strain,

Kyrie Irving may have returned to the court Friday to help the Dallas Mavericks defeat top-seeded Oklahoma City, but his ongoing back injury will require rest in some instances. Irving missing Wednesday’s controversial loss to the New Orleans Pelicans was an example of him taking a night off to manage a bulging disc in his back.