NBA: ‘Energized’ Durant (knee) confirms return on Thursday vs. Heat

Brooklyn star Kevin Durant confirmed after the morning shootaround that he will indeed return for the Nets' game against the visiting Miami Heat on Thursday night.

Durant was removed from the injury report Wednesday after missing a month and a half with a sprained left MCL.

"I feel energized," Durant said Thursday. "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."

Durant is averaging 29.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game this season, but he's been out since Jan. 15 and has played in only 36 games in 2021-22.

The Nets enter Thursday 32-31, good for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Nets have 19 regular season games left to play their way out of the play-in tournament.

They still don't know when Ben Simmons (back) will be ready to make his season and team debut while Kyrie Irving still can't participate in home games due to his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

"We are cutting it close. There's under 20 games left in the season, but that's the situation we're in, that's the circumstances we're in. So what? We got to go out there and figure it out," Durant said. "We know what the standings are. We know everybody's telling us every day how far we're dropping and where we may end up, constantly telling us the situation we're in."

-reuters

NBA: Lakers’ Davis (ankle) out 2 weeks, report says

Lakers forward Anthony Davis is expected to be sidelined at least two weeks after sustaining a right ankle sprain in Los Angeles' 106-101 win against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, ESPN reported.

Per the Lakers, Davis underwent X-rays on Wednesday that revealed no fracture. He has an MRI scheduled for Thursday, and the team announced he will be re-evaluated after the upcoming All-Star break.

Davis was pulling down a rebound in the air when his right foot landed on the heel of Utah's Rudy Gobert. Davis' right ankle rolled, sending him immediately to the floor.

After a visit from team medical staff, Davis was helped off the court, unable to put weight on his right foot. He collected 17 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in 17 minutes before leaving.

"Win games until we get him back," Lakers coach Frank Vogel told reporters. "It's that simple. We can't feel sorry for ourselves. We don't know obviously how long it will be, but we gotta win as many games as we can down the stretch and believe in the group that we have. And hopefully we're able to get whole as quickly as possible."

The Lakers (27-31) return to action on February 25 against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.

It has been an injury-plagued season for the 8-time All-Star, who had been listed as probable for Wednesday's game with a wrist injury. Davis had just returned January 23 from a 17-game absence because of a knee injury. He also missed significant time last season with separate calf and knee injuries.

Davis, 28, is averaging 23.1 points and 9.7 rebounds in 37 games this season. He has averaged 23.8 points and 10.2 rebounds in 601 career games (596 starts).

-reuters