PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns weren’t fans of a strange quirk in their regular-season schedule when they first saw it over the summer, a five-day break in late November.

Teams typically want to keep things moving, both in terms of rhythm and conditioning. But they have benefited significantly in the rest and recovery period, particularly Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, who both return to the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday after suffering calf strains.

Durant missed seven games after he felt something was wrong in his left calf while going for a rebound in a Nov. 8 win over the Dallas Mavericks, noting that he “knew there was something there.” Without him, Phoenix went 1-6, largely due to Beal switching to Durant in the final five contests.

Durant is averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 blocks per game, with a true shooting percentage of 67%, 5% above his career average and a number that would be the second-best mark of his career. Additionally, he dominated in crucial seasons, helping the Suns win close games, and his defensive play was at its best since arriving in Phoenix nearly two years ago. If there is such a thing as an “MVP conversation” two weeks into the season, he was there.

With him, the Suns will be a completely different entity. Apparently.

“I put in a lot of work, had some good days and was able to get back on the court,” Durant said before Tuesday’s game. “This Friday break definitely helped, and I’m very grateful for that. I’m looking forward to getting back out there.”

Durant suffered a strained calf in late June, shortly before Team USA’s training camp in Las Vegas ahead of the Paris Olympics. He said this wasn’t such a serious injury as he was out for a month.

That and Durant’s heavy workload at age 36 would make it reasonable to be concerned about the situation. At the time of his injury, he was second in the league with 38.8 minutes per game.

Durant explained how conscious, if any, he is of his total minutes.

“I just try to play the game,” Durant said. “I love the way our coach substitutions the game, he doesn’t try to dictate his rotations. If we play games early, I probably won’t play many minutes. If we’re in a close game, expect me to be out there on the floor.”

Head coach Mike Budenholzer hasn’t played anyone more than 35 minutes per game in his first 10 NBA coaching seasons, but in his 11th season he has two players who have reached that limit. Beal is also right there at 34.8.

Durant was asked if he and Budenholzer had talked much about his record status.

“We talked about minutes this summer, but it was just this conversation I just had – whatever the game needs, I’m ready for it and (to) be a resource however you need me,” Durant said. “I’ll leave that to the coaches.”

So would it be cool for him to sit in the low 30s?

“No not really. I want to play 48 minutes tonight,” Durant said. “I’ve been saying that for ten years. But I feel like I’m coachable and will do whatever the coach asks of me. But I want him to know in the back of his mind that I still have 48 minutes to play. Whatever he decides for me, I’m ready to do anything.”

He couldn’t quite remember the last time he did that, joking that he came close earlier this year when he scored 44 points in the season opener, an overtime win.

To feed curious minds (like my own), he never played every second of a regular season game. For the playoffs? Four times, including a win in Game 5 of the second round in 2021 against the Milwaukee Bucks with the Brooklyn Nets And Game 7 of the same series (!) that went into overtime (!!) when he managed 53 minutes (!!!), the infamous “Toe On The Line Game”. The career high is 57, a triple-OT thriller in Game 4 of a 2011 second-round contest with the “Grit N’ Grind” Memphis Grizzlies.

The point is that he wants to be out there!

“I’m 36,” Durant said with a smile. “I don’t know how much time I have left, so I want to be out there as much as possible.”

Follow @KellanOlson