Kevin Durant might be back before the end of the regular season

The Golden State Warriors have updated Kevin Durant’s injury status and it’s possible he could return before the end of the regular season.

Durant last played for the Warriors on Feb. 28, when he injured his knee against the Wizards. That injury was later revealed to be a bone bruise and MCL sprain with a recovery timeline that might have had him missing the rest of the regular season. Today, the Warriors issued an official PR announcement that his recovery was on schedule and there is a possibility he could return before the end of the season.

The Warriors struggled for a time immediately following Durant’s absence — going 2-4 in their first six games without him, getting outscored by an average of 3.4 points per 100 possessions. They have since rebounded, winning their last eight in a row by an average of 19.2 points per 100 possessions. Stephen Curry has been particularly good over that winning streak, averaging 25.3 points and 7.9 assists per game, shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 43.4 percent on 3-pointers.

That winning streak has also put the Warriors back in the driver’s seat for the best record in the Western Conference. They play the second place Spurs tonight but currently hold a 2.5 game lead for the No. 1 seed.

Getting Durant back in the regular season would be huge, both for ensuring that he’s healthy and for reestablishing their offensive rhythm. It took a few weeks at the beginning of the season for the Warriors to gel around his presence and things have shifted again as the team has adapted to his absence this month.

Playing without Durant has also revealed some unexpected fragility in the Warriors’ depth. It was assumed that their frontcourt depth might be a problem, but a lack of shooting has actually seemed to be the bigger issue. Last season, the Warriors had a wealth of shooters off the bench but this year that ability is more concentrated in Klay Thompson, Curry and Durant. With Durant out of the lineup there wasn’t quite as much space for Thompson and Curry to operate.

Next: This funky pick-and-roll shows how smart the Warriors are

The Warriors will likely enter the NBA playoffs as the favorite to win it all, with or without Durant. But having back, healthy and integrated sure would be nice.