Durant feeling better, but won't be 'dumb' about hamstring

Kevin Durant will likely remain out of the Oklahoma City Thunder lineup until at least the end of the week, even though he says his strained left hamstring is "feeling a lot better."

"Way better, actually," Durant said Sunday, according to ESPN's Royce Young, but he won't be forcing matters. "Hamstrings are a little different. You can reinjure them pretty easily if you try and play through it, or as we say now, 'Be tough.' I call that being dumb."

Durant and the Thunder have reason to take things in stride after his last season was derailed by foot injuries. Yet a muscle injury is less serious than a structural issue, and for that the superstar is grateful.

"Man, when I look at it in the grand scheme of things, I'm breathing, my mom is all right, my family is good," Durant said before the Thunder lost to the Boston Celtics. "Hamstring strain - as long as I don't have to get surgery again, I don't have to go through that process again - it's just a minor bump in the road."

Oklahoma City plays the Memphis Grizzlies Monday and New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday. Based on the initial 7-to-10 day projection, Durant could be ready to return Friday night against the New York Knicks, or perhaps on one end of the team's back-to-back Sunday and Monday against the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz, respectively.