Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who has been sidelined since Jan. 1 with a back injury, returned to action in Tuesday’s home game against the Denver Nuggets. Irving finished with 11 points (on 4-for-18 shooting), four rebounds, two assists and four steals in Dallas’ 118-99 loss.

With their head amply above water at six games over .500, it’s not as if the reigning Western Conference champion Mavericks were in dire need of a lifeguard. But with six defeats in their last eight games,