Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant says he's back after missing 21 games

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant says he will play Thursday against the Miami Heat after missing a month and a half because of a sprained left MCL.

Durant has not played since getting hurt in the Nets' Jan. 15 win over the New Orleans Pelicans and will provide a huge lift for a team that went 5-16 in his absence.

«I feel energized,» Durant said after Thursday's shootaround. «I feel grateful for the opportunity to play. It sucks being out and not being around the team. I felt bad not being able to help and contribute and try to turn some things around for us. But get an opportunity tonight and hopefully moving forward where I can inject what I do into this team and it hopefully it provides some good results.»

Without Durant on the floor, coupled with the trade of James Harden and the periodic absences of Kyrie Irving, the Nets have slid to 32-31 and eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Ben Simmons, who came over from the Sixers in the Harden trade, has yet to play as he continues to deal with a back issue. Irving still sits out home games because of the New York City vaccination mandate. Durant was asked if he feels any more pressure given the precarious position the Nets find themselves in standings-wise.

«I don't look at myself as that, as a savior,» Durant said. «But I know what I can do and how much I can help this team and what we're missing as a group, but I'm not trying to go out there and win a game by myself tonight or make it all about me. I just try to go out there and help and be a good teammate and do what I do. I know what I bring to the table and try to do it to the best of my abilities.»

It's been a sharp decline for a team that had been at or near the top of the standings when Durant