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Kevin Durant on increased workload: 'I feel like I'm there'

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

It sounds as if the Oklahoma City Thunder may be ready to ditch the kid gloves they've been handling Kevin Durant with.

Since Durant returned from a Jones fracture in his right foot on Dec. 2, the team managed his minutes closely for seven games, capping him at 30 minutes of action. On Tuesday, head coach Scott Brooks allowed Durant to push it to 35 minutes, and Durant now sounds as if he's ready to break free of any remaining shackles.

"I feel like I'm there," Durant said Thursday. "I'm playing a little bit more now and I'm feeling good."

That's great news for the Thunder and bad news for everybody else in the Western Conference. The team's gone 7-1 since Durant returned, pushing their record to 12-13 and leaving them just a half-game out of a playoff spot. The thoughts of Oklahoma City missing the playoffs after the absences of Durant and Russell Westbrook now seem far in the past.

Durant has been solid since returning, although his 3-point stroke is yet to arrive in 2014-15. In 29.4 minutes, he's averaging 21.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists, shooting 50.4 percent overall and 32.2 percent from long range. Save for the outside shot, those numbers are only a shade below his per-minute rates from last year's MVP season.

Westbrook has been even better, averaging 26.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 29.6 minutes while shooting a career-best 49.5 percent.

Yeah, these guys are still really, really good. A top seed in the West may be out of reach - they're seven-and-a-half games back of home court - but they appear a fairly strong bet to make the playoffs and give a top seed serious headaches.

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