Jason Kidd said Kyrie Irving could potentially return on Friday after not playing on Wednesday against the Pelicans.

Dallas guard Kyrie Irving is expected to miss one to two weeks with a bulging disk in his back, and Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said a timeline for his return was not immediately known.

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 and Houston Rockets will go head-to-head to kick off the new year on January 1. The Wednesday affair projects to be competitive, as Dallas received two promising injury updates on Tuesday.

The Dallas Mavericks will be without star guard Kyrie Irving for the next few weeks. Irving suffered a bulging disc in his back and will miss at least one to two weeks. However, there is optimism that he will be able to return after undergoing treatment. NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN reported the news.

After the Dallas Mavericks' loss to the Denver Nuggets, Kyrie Irving addressed the media and shared his thoughts on teammate Luka Doncic.

The Mavericks have recently navigated life without Luka Doncic, who sustained a left calf strain on Christmas Day. With Irving and Doncic out on Friday, Quentin Grimes stepped up in a playmaking role with 26 points, six assists and two rebounds.

Kyrie Irving was candid when asked about his relationship with Dallas Mavericks' teammate Luka Doncic. The two are frequently seen joking around and laughing with each other during games. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that the Slovenian superstar never gets on Irving's nerves.