Kevin Durant Set to Return This Week? [NBA News & Rumors]

Kevin Durant was believed to return soon, and it did happen.

An initial report from Bleacher Report hinted that Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant could be returning soon, and such did happen on the game against the Utah Jazz last Monday.

Durant has been sidelined since he suffered a hamstring injury last Nov. 10 against the Washington Wizards and had so far missed the Thunder's last six games.

Durant made his return official, hardly showing any effects of the injury.

To prove his point, the All Star forward made a resounding return by dropping 27 points, thanks to his incredible shooting which saw him convert 10 of 13 from the field that included sinking 3 of his 6 three-point attempts to lead OKC to a 111-89 thrashing of the hosting Utah Jazz at the Vivint Smart Home Arena, as reported via Yahoo Sports.

Aside from that, Durant grabbed six rebounds to go with four steals, one assist and one block in 30 minutes of action. With those numbers, Durant was hardly off sync, and the Jazz were the unfortunate ones to feel the hungry return of KD.

The game was so lopsided that Thunder enjoyed leads by as much as 34 points in the final period.

Overall, it was a big boost for the wards of head coach Billy Donavan, with Durant balancing things up. This resulted in seeing four other players finishing in double digits, with Russell Westbrook expectedly following his brother KD with 20 points and nine assists.

The big win helped the Thunder improve to 9-6, good for the fourth spot, as OKC tries to move up in the standings of a highly competitive Western Conference.

"When I was ready to get back on the court physically, I was there putting my work in making sure my body was ready, my fundamentals were right," Durant said via ESPN. "I just have the mindset that, no matter what, I just pick up where I left off. I think what separates good players from great players is that mindset."

Apparently, Durant did pick up from where he left off, although coach Donovan didn’t want to rush back Durant after that hamstring injury.

The caution is understandable seeing as how Durant ended up not playing for almost the entire season last year. And while Durant seems to be fine, expect the Thunder and its medical personnel to keep close tabs on the prized player who is looking to bounce back big this 2015-16 NBA season.