Kevin Durant has missed the Nets' last nine games after suffering an MCL sprain during a Jan. 8 win at Miami. Brooklyn has posted a 3-6 record during his absence while struggling to find consistency on both ends. However, it may not be long before the former MVP is back in the lineup. Durant recently said a return prior to the All-Star break is his ideal target.

“That would be a nice target point for me I guess, is the few games before the (All-Star game) to get my legs back under me,” Durant said on his podcast, the ETCs. “That's in an ideal situation, then slide into the All-Star break back healthy, back on the floor.”

Brooklyn provided an update on Durant two weeks after he sustained the injury. The team said the forward is “progressing as expected” and would begin on-court activities before being re-evaluated on Feb. 7.

The Nets will play four games between the Feb. 7 update and the All-Star break, a period Durant could target for a return, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

“There is optimism that Kevin Durant will return to action for Nets ahead of the All-Star break – and play in the All-Star Game,” sources told Shams.

Durant's comments appear to indicate he is aligned with that thought process. The fourth-year Net was recently selected to his 13th All-Star Game and 11th as a starter after a historically efficient start to the season. Durant is averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists on 55.9 percent shooting, the league’s best mark among 46 players attempting 15.5 or more shots per game.

The 34-year-old has also been one of Brooklyn's top defenders while playing an integral role as a perimeter stopper and backline rim protector in the Nets' switch-heavy scheme.

Kyrie Irving has stepped up in Durant's absence, turning in one of the best stretches of his career to keep the Nets competitive. Irving has posted six straight games of 30-plus points, the longest streak in Nets franchise history. The guard most recently scored 21 points in the fourth quarter against the Knicks Saturday to carry Brooklyn to their ninth straight win over the crosstown rival.

The Nets will be back in action Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers minus LeBron James and Anthony Davis before traveling to Boston for a matchup with the league-leading Celtics Wednesday.