Mavericks' Kyrie Irving Ruled Out vs. Nuggets with Back Injury

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving will miss Wednesday's game against the Denver Nuggets because of lower back tightness.

Irving has played in four games with the Mavericks this season, averaging 28.3 points and 7.0 assists per game.

The eight-time All-Star was traded to Dallas in a blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets, just two days after he requested a trade. He averaged 27.1 points and 5.3 assists in 40 games this year with the Nets, but the trade ended a tumultuous four seasons with the organization.

The 30-year-old appeared in 143 of 278 possible regular-season games during his time in Brooklyn, per Tom Haberstroh of Meadowlark Media.

Injuries were a major issue, holding Irving to just 20 games in 2019-20. Off-court issues also prevented him from playing, including in 2021-22 when he played just 29 games after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. He was also suspended for eight games by the Nets earlier this season when he failed to initially apologize and disavow antisemitism after posting about an antisemitic movie on social media.

Even after a move to the Mavericks, Irving is once again struggling to stay on the court.

Josh Green and Frank Ntilikina could now see bigger roles for Dallas, with depth a significant question mark for the team.