Nets' Kevin Durant has impressive showing in return, but loss adds to Brooklyn's uphill battle

Nick Metallinos

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Nets' Kevin Durant has impressive showing in return, but loss adds to Brooklyn's uphill battle image

"I'm Kevin Durant. You know who I am."

By this stage of his career, we definitely know who Kevin Durant is and what he can do on the basketball floor. After missing 21 games with an MCL sprain, Durant made his long-awaited return to the Nets, who sorely needed their leader, but alas, the team still fell short, coughing up a 16-point lead to the undermanned Miami Heat who were playing without Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker. 

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Durant finished the game with 31 points (on 10 of 21 shooting) in 35 minutes to go along with four rebounds and four assists as the Nets dropped their third consecutive game, 113-107. 

"I felt great," Durant said postgame. "I'm only gonna get better, more comfortable out there. Take more of a load out there, too, when I get more games under my belt."

Prior to his injury, Durant was in the midst of an MVP caliber season, averaging 29.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game on 52.0 percent shooting from the field and 37.2 percent from the 3-point line.

In his absence, the already depleted Nets have nosedived in the standings, going 5-16 since his injury to fall from the No. 1 seed to No. 8.

Making matters worse is that there is no sign of Ben Simmons' return, Kyrie Irving has yet to get cleared for games in New York City and sharpshooter Joe Harris has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

MORE: Kevin Durant return, Ben Simmons status: Why Nets making the playoffs isn't a certainty

"I don't look at myself as that, as a savior," Durant said before the game. "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."

After Thursday night's loss, Brooklyn is just one game ahead of both Charlotte and Atlanta, who are eighth and ninth, respectively. 

Durant, on his part, looked like he hadn't missed a beat. After missing his first two shots he found his rhythm and had nine points in the first quarter alone. 

He reached the 30-point mark late in the fourth on this nasty stop-on-a-dime drive to the hoop. 

Things won't get any easier for the Nets as their next game is against the Boston Celtics on Sunday. 

Nick Metallinos

Nick Metallinos Photo

Nick has been working exclusively within the NBA world for over a decade. He hosted 46 episodes of Ball or Nothin' - a show screened on ESPN highlighting the social media aspects of the NBA. Nick has covered 3 NBA Finals, 5 NBA All-Star weekends, 8 NBA drafts, 5 Jordan Brand Classics plus dozens of playoff games and hundreds of regular season games. 
Nick spends his spare time trying to decide which sneakers best match his outfit.