Nathaniel S. Butler | Credit: NBAE via Getty Images
Injury Report: Kevin Durant Playing, Ben Simmons Out vs. Miami Heat
After 20 games without their superstar forward, the Brooklyn Nets are finally getting Kevin Durant back. The team announced their injury report for Thursday's game against the Miami Heat, and for the first time since mid-January, Kevin Durant was not on it. Ben Simmons, however, remains out.
Getting Kevin Durant back is the answer to nearly every single one of Brooklyn's problems. The team has struggled mightily in his absence, falling all the way down to the 8th-seed. The slide from Brooklyn may have sealed their fate as a play-in team, even with the return of Durant on the way. Brooklyn currently trails the 6-seed Celtics by 4.5 games, and while that is not impossible ground to make up, they will need a red hot Boston team to slow down significantly.
While Durant is expected to return on Thursday, Ben Simmons may still be far away from a return. Reports indicate that his return may not be as imminent as Brooklyn had hoped, with a multitude of roadblocks standing in the way of his Nets debut. With Kyrie Irving still ineligible for home games, Durant is expected to be the only available Nets star for the majority of Brooklyn's remaining schedule.
While less than ideal, if the Nets could choose one of their three stars to have available, it would be Kevin Durant. He has won games with depleted versions of Brooklyn's roster, and will likely be up for the challenge of doing it once again. If all goes as planned, that process will begin Thursday night against the Miami Heat.
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