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.

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.

Irving entered the night just three points shy of the threshold with 17,997 career points. After a pair of free throws, he maneuvered into the paint and connected on a midrange jumper at the 7:17 mark of the first quarter. He finished with 38 points despite another loss for the injury-riddled Mavericks.