DALLAS -- Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving returned for Tuesday night's blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets, a game in which center Dereck Lively II exited early due to a right ankle sprain.
Lively exited with 8:04 left in the first quarter and did not return.
Irving, who is averaging 24.3 points and 4.9 assists this season, was back after sitting out the past week because of a lower back injury. He scored 11 points in 30 minutes in the return, a 118-99 loss.
The Mavs went 2-3 during the five games that Irving sat out.
Irving was listed as out because of illness for the Mavs' Jan. 3 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team announced before the next game that he had a lumbar sprain in his lower back.
Sources told ESPN's Shams Charania that Irving has been dealing with a bulging disk in his lower back.
Mavs co-star Luka Doncic has been sidelined since straining his left calf during a Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is scheduled to be reevaluated the last week of January.