"Chris Duhon admits his eyes might have been opened when Mike D'Antoni demoted him to the bench two games ago. Tonight, Duhon will be back in the starting lineup, and he's prepared to return with one thing above all else -- energy.

As the Post's Marc Berman first reported yesterday, D'Antoni will flip-flop Duhon and Nate Robinson for tonight's game against the Kings at the Garden, returning Duhon to his starting point guard role after a two-game bench banishment. Robinson will come off the bench as a shooting guard after starting at point last Friday and Saturday.

Duhon, who revealed yesterday his demotion was "a reality check," said this time as a starter he needs to be sure he plays with spirit. Being passive won't work.

"I've just got to be myself. I've got to bring energy. That was the main thing," Duhon said. "When I play with energy, it's contagious and guys kind of feed off of that. My main thing is coming out there, being very, very aggressive defensively and bringing a lot of energy to the court.""