New York, New York - Kyrie Irving made his return to the Brooklyn Nets side for the first time in seven months but you wouldn't know that, according to head coach Steve Nash and teammate Kevin Durant.

The pair were full of praise for 29-year-old Irving, who had not played all season due to his vaccination status. He was ineligible to play home games in New York City due to the city's vaccine mandate, with the Nets not wanting him on a part-time basis.

The franchise changed their tune two weeks ago, permitting him for road games, amid a Covid-19 outbreak which depleted their playing stocks. Irving had returned to practice and found his fitness before he played for the first time this NBA season in Wednesday's 129-121 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Irving was on court for 32 minutes, scoring 22 points making nine-of-17 from the field along with three rebounds, four assists and three steals.

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The win also halted the Nets' three-game skid, as they improved to 24-12 to sit second in the east behind the Chicago Bulls (25-10).

"He looks like himself," Nash said at the post-game news conference. "Not a big surprise watching him play in practice, he's so gifted and talented, you could see the rhythm was there."

"But it's still an adaptation. We've got to give him some space as he transitions back to playing but tonight he was big."

Kevin Durant scored 39 points with eight rebounds and seven assists.

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"It was amazing to have him out there," Durant told reporters. "I missed his presence around the locker room, his energy and his vibe around the team."

"On top of that, his game is just so beautiful. He makes the game so much easier for everybody out there."

The 33-year-old added: "I'm sure he was a bit nervous but he got comfortable. He made some athletic plays. It looked like he'd be around for a while."